WASHINGTON —Today the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) announced the following briefing:
Democratization in the Caucasus: Elections in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
2:00-4:00 p.m.
334 Cannon House Office Building
The latest round of elections in the Caucasus has begun. Armenia held parliamentary elections on May 6; Georgia’s parliamentary election follows in October, and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia will hold presidential elections in 2013.
Controversy has surrounded elections in the region in the past and may do so again, given political polarization and problematic government-opposition relations in all three countries. This briefing will look at how far free and fair elections have come in the Caucasus, and what the United States can do to promote progress in upcoming elections.
Panelists Scheduled to Appear:
Tom de Waal, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Dr. Cory Welt, Associate Director, Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Christopher Walker, Vice President for Strategy and Analysis, Freedom House
Stephen B. Nix, Regional Director, Eurasia, International Republican Institute (IRI)
Anthony Bowyer, Program Manager, Caucasus and Central Asia, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
