Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) and Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) signed their third consecutive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on electoral security on September 12, 2018. The MoU outlines how the CEC and MIA will cooperate to ensure security for the October 28, 2018, presidential election and reflects an institutionalized cooperation that had not existed prior to encouragement from IFES in 2016.
The ability for people to participate in elections free from the fear of harm is essential to inclusive, credible elections and protected by the right to human security and universal suffrage. In Central America, and more particularly in Guatemala, this freedom of fear has not been a reality for many citizens. To help address this problem, IFES has been providing technical support to the Guatemalan Supreme Electoral Tribunal on electoral violence prevention and response coordination since 2011.