US Embassy: parliament made 'rushed decision' in approving new rules for electing CEC head, members
The parliament approved the changes despite the NGOs calling not to support the 'simplified procedures.' Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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The US Embassy to Georgia has stated that the Georgian parliament made a 'rushed decision' in approving new rules for electing the Central Election Commission (CEC) head and members.
The embassy said that by supporting the amendments, the ruling Georgian Dream party took an 'unnecessary step away' from its commitment to strengthening Georgia's electoral system.
The parliament approved the changes in the rules for the election of the CEC chair and members yesterday, despite the NGOs calling not to support the 'simplified procedures.'
The new rules allow the election of the CEC head and members immediately with a simple majority (at least 76 MPs in a 150-member parliament) if the first vote, which requires the support of the two-thirds of 150 MPs, fails.
The previous procedures, adopted after the April 2021 EU-mediated agreement, stated that the CEC chair and members should have been elected with the support of at least two-thirds of the MPs.
U.S. Embassy Statement on Central Election Commission Rule Revisions https://t.co/1hspvwJPJr
— U.S. Embassy Tbilisi (@usingeo) December 18, 2021
The US Embassy has called on the parliamentary parties, the civil society organisations, and the Georgian president to collaborate and reach a 'multi-partisan consensus' on appointing the CEC candidates.
For voters in Georgia to have confidence in the electoral process, they need to have confidence in the impartiality, independence, and qualifications of Central Election commission members, they said.
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) said earlier that the new rules were elaborated without the engagement of the opposition, and their approval would benefit the interests of the ruling party.