Georgian Parliament Speaker responds to Venice Commission President, OSCE/ODIHR's opinion on election of CEC members

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday published a letter addressing the President of the Venice Commission, Claire Bazy-Malaurie, and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on their draft joint opinion on recent amendments to the election of Central Election Commission members.

In his letter, Papuashvili emphasised the recommendations should be based more on solid legal reasoning than on political factors.

I have received the draft joint opinion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the latest amendments. In view of the partnership between our institutions, in order to maintain constructive dialogue and, more importantly, to make sure that the Venice Commission remains valuable and relevant partner for Georgia’s democratic agenda, it is my kind request to you to consider some of our broader concerns”, he said.

Let me start by saying that as I have highlighted before, including during the meeting with the Venice Commission delegation in Tbilisi in 2023, we expect the Venice Commission opinions to have solid legal argumentation, backed with best European experiences, derived from across the EU member countries”, he added.

Contrary to the Venice Commission's advice for impartial and independent CEC leadership, Papuashvili emphasised the unreasonable idea of keeping the opposition party-appointed members in the position of Deputy Chair of the Central Election Commission.

He also criticised the reliance “on now irrelevant” April 19 agreement, which was often referred to by the Commission, noting that “it has been in force for almost three years” and failed to work in practice.

Our practical experience clearly demonstrates that when extraordinary tools are not granted to the opposition, then readiness of political sides for more fruitful political discussions and higher chances for consensus follow”, the letter noted.

Georgia has experimented unsuccessfully with the qualified majority rule for two and a half years”, the official stated, adding it “was not derived from inter-party dialogue but was insisted by an external mediator”.

Papuashvili also noted the country’s legislative body was “determined” to find institutional solutions based on well-established European standards and legal principles, rejecting experimental models that had proven ineffective.