From the 11^th-14^th of June 2019, the Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD), in partnership with Le Centre des Etudes Méditerranéennes et Internationales (CEMI), organized a Tunisian-Georgian peer exchange visit in Tbilisi, Georgia. The main aim of the visit was to provide an important opportunity for political peers to share experiences on various challenges confronting them, track each other’s progress, and connect with their sister parties.

The delegation consisted of members of parliamentary and non-parliamentary political parties, including: Ms. Asma Ben Salah, Forum Démocratique pour le Travail et les Libertés (Ettakatol); Mr. Iheb Ghariani, Courant Démocratique; Mr. Jalel Yacoubi, Machrouu Tounes; Mr. Belgacem Hassen, Ennahdha; Mr. Ridha Lagha, Mouvement du Peuple; Member of Parliament Ms. Khansa Ben Harrath, Nidaa Tounes; Ms. Hajer Cherif, Almoubedra. The delegation was accompanied by the CEMI team – Mr. Ahmed Driss and Ms. Hajer Lamti.

In the framework of the Peer Exchange Visit, the Tunisian politicians had an opportunity to meet with their Georgian counterparts and together explore the Georgian political and economic context. Just some of the areas covered were elections and electoral system, the current challenges of implementing judicial reform, enhancing the participation of women and national minorities in politics, and ways to strengthen the protection of human rights. The meeting was also a unique opportunity for the Tunisian delegates to gain insights into Georgia’s unresolved conflicts, as well as the background, circumstances, and aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War of 2008. Perhaps, what is more important, as a result of the peer-to-peer component participants on both sides get to see how context affects policy, and each learned about solving problems in a way that works for their party and their country’s specific needs.

Besides the meetings with the leading CSO representatives and oppositional political parties, members of the Tunisian delegation were hosted at the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia (CEC). The head of CEC, Mrs. Tamar Zhvania, provided detailed information about the Georgian electoral system, answered the Tunisian politicians’ questions, and even showed them a braille voter slip, created especially for blind voters.

The visit took place in the framework of the project ‘Regional Engagement to Advance the Creation of Hubs for Democracy (REACH for Democracy)’. This EU-funded project is implemented in Benin, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco and Tunisia and aims to create an international network of young democrats from across the political spectrum, who will work together to make their political systems more plural and inclusive.