On November 23, the President of Georgia issued a decree by which a plebiscite will be held in the country in parallel with presidential elections on January 5, 2008. According to the order, the citizens of Georgia will be given an opportunity to answer two questions:

1.Whether to hold the next parliamentary elections between October 1 and October 31, 2008, as provided in the constitution, or rather in the spring of 2008.

2.Whether Georgia should pursue integration into NATO.

The decree of the President also lays out organizational issues regarding the plebiscite. Specifically, Georgia's Central Election Commission is responsible for the preparation and execution of the plebiscite, while the Ministry of Finance of Georgia is responsible for allocating funds to finance the plebiscite and ensure fulfillment of all related activities as envisaged by the legislation.

The Government of Georgia and local governmental bodies are held responsible for holding the plebiscite in an organized way pursuant to the applicable legislation.

Communications Office
of the President of Georgia