The report of the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) pre-election delegation states that the recent amendments to Election Code are not in line with the recommendations made by the OSCE/ODIHR, and the Venice Commission. They may also further reduce the trust in the CEC.
According to the report, it is most notable that the position of CEC deputy chairperson, which was previously held by a CEC representative appointed from the opposition parties was abolished. According to the document all of this, along with the high threshold for parliamentary election, reduces the chances of reaching a consensus in the decision making process and increasing the public’s confidence in the CEC.
“Recent amendments of the Electoral Code including those adopted in third reading on 20 February 2024 when the delegation was in Georgia do not comply with recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), and the Venice Commission and may further reduce the confidence in the CEC. The CEC’s composition and the process for electing its members have undergone significant changes. According to the agreement from April 19, in order to achieve consensus in a polarized environment, it was recommended that changes be made to the process of selecting CEC members. This would allow the chairman and professional CEC members to be elected on the basis consensus with the support of at least two-thirds the parliament. In August 2021, the CEC chairman was elected for a six month term due to a lack of support. Since then, no candidate has received more than two-thirds votes. According to the Election Code, Kalandarishvili will continue to perform the duties of chairman until a successor is elected. The Election Code was amended to transfer the power to nominate CEC Members from the President to Chairman of the parliament. Also, the number of votes needed to be elected was altered several times. In recent years, the quorum requirement has been reduced from two-thirds to a simple majority. And, by February 2024, three-fifths support is needed to elect the Speaker for a five-year term and the professional members. The most notable change is the elimination of the position of deputy chairman of CEC, previously held by a CEC member appointed from the opposition. This, along with the high threshold for the parliamentary election, reduces the chances of reaching a consensus in the decision making process and increasing the public’s confidence in the CEC.
The report was prepared in advance of the October 2024 parliamentary elections by the International Monitoring Delegation of the National Democratic Institute. These elections will be the first ones held in Georgia since it was granted the status of EU candidate. In addition, this election will be the first one to use a new voting system that involves the distribution by proportional representation of parliamentary mandates and indirect election of president. On election day, new technologies will be widely used. The delegation was tasked with assessing the political climate in Georgia for the parliamentary election, reviewing the current pre-election process, and developing recommendations to promote inclusive, transparent, and accountable elections processes.
The members of the delegation included: An Linde, a former Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs; Per Eklund, a former head of the EU Delegation in Georgia; Michael Posner, a former Assistant Secretary of State at the United States Department of State responsible for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Daniel Gottfried, a Legislative and Policy analyst at the Office of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman; Eva Busha, Regional Director of the National Democratic Institute Eurasia (NDI); and Richard Klein, the director of the National Democratic Institute
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