President Saakashvili has named three candidates for the vacant post of chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) as envisaged by the law.

Tamar Zhvania, who has  been recommended for CEC chair by a group of civil society organizations, is among the three candidates named by the President on September 9. Zhvania was with local election observer group International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) for seven years till 2007, working as its executive director in 2004-2007 before joining UNDP Tbilisi office as a manager of electoral assistance project.

Two other candidates are Konstantine Amirejibi, chairman of the District Election Commission in Tbilisi’s Vake constituency, and a CEC employee Manuchar Gamkrelidze, who previously served as a chairman of the District Election Commission in Kobuleti.

Now it is up to the political party-appointed members of CEC, except of UNM-appointed member, to select one from these three candidates. If these six members of CEC - all of them representing the Georgian Dream coalition, fail to elect new chairperson of CEC within next five days, then it will be up to the Parliament to elect new chairperson from same three candidates, nominated by the President.