The U.S. interagency delegation will visit Georgia next week to assess the pre-election situation ahead of the October 27 presidential polls.

The delegation will be led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Thomas O. Melia and USAID Assistant Administrator Paige Alexander.

“To demonstrate the importance the U.S. Government attaches to democratic electoral processes, other members of the delegation will include officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Justice. The delegation will meet with senior government officials, political party representatives, election officials, members of parliament, civil society leaders, and media freedom advocates,” the U.S. Department of State said on September 6.

A similar U.S. interagency pre-election delegation also visited Georgia ahead of the October 2012 parliamentary elections.