IRI Sponsors Campaign Academy

July 12, 2002

IRI conducted a joint campaign academy for 20 Azerbaijani and Georgian political activists, representing 10 political parties, in Bakuriani, Georgia from June 21-30.

The program is aimed at creating a core group of campaign specialists who are trained to think strategically in preparation for upcoming elections. Activists are trained to develop positive, issue-based messages for their respective parties and candidates.

During the intensive 10-day program, participants learned the fundamentals of campaign and party organization, message development, political polling, media training and methods of campaign managements from IRI volunteer trainers, including Marguerite Sullivan, IRI vice president for external affairs.

Other volunteer trainers included representatives from the non-governmental media organization Internews, Georgia's independent Rustavi-2 television station, the legal department of the Georgian parliament and the Central Election Commission.

IRI will conduct a series of programs to coincide with preparations for presidential elections in Azerbaijan and parliamentary elections in Georgia, both scheduled for the latter part of 2003.

In Azerbaijan, President Heidar Aliyev has announced his intent to run for a controversial third term but will likely be challenged by several opposition leaders, including Musavat Party Chairman Isa Gambar and Azerbaijan National Independence Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov.

The Georgian elections should prove to be the country's most competitive since the break up of the Soviet Union. The near demise in recent local elections of the once-dominant Citizen's Union of Georgia (CUG), President Eduard Shevardnadze's political party, will allow for a competitive challenge next autumn.

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