President Zourabichvili Vetoes Changes to Election Process for CEC Chairman and Members
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
According to reports from the presidential administration, the amendments made to the "Election Code" that modify the process of electing the Chairman and members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) have been vetoed by the President of Georgia.
Salome Zourabichvili expressed concerns that reducing the required number of votes from 100 to 76 for electing the chairman and members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) could undermine the need for consensus-based decisions and potentially lead to increased polarization.
The President has put forward a proposal to the Parliament suggesting that the Chairman and members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) be elected with a minimum requirement of 90 votes.
"According to the current edition, the President of Georgia, an independent and non-partisan official, announces the competition and creates a candidate selection commission. The President will present the selected candidates to the Parliament.
According to the changes, the commission's creation, candidate selection, and presentation will be carried out by the chairman of the parliament, and the election will be decided by a simple majority of the parliament, which implies a one-party decision.
Electing the chairman and members with 76 votes instead of 100 eliminates the need for consensus-based decisions and increases the risk of polarization.
The veto serves the purpose of maintaining this consensus.
The President proposes to the parliament that the chairman and members of the CEC should be elected with at least 90 votes, as was the case with the public defender.
This is necessary to uphold and strengthen trust in elections and the administration of elections," the statement reads.
