About Civil.ge
Eng | Geo | Rus
Last updated: 10:55 - 1 May.'18
RSS
Mobile
Twitter
Facebook
Saakashvili Asked to Explain his Choice of CEC Chair Candidates
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 18 Jan.'10 / 17:36

A group of non-governmental organizations requested President Saakashvili to explain reasons why he ignored a nomination by 27 NGOs for chairmanship of Central Election Commission and instead nominated three other candidates.

Eka Siradze, an executive director of election watchdog International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), was recommended jointly by 27 NGOs at a meeting with President Saakashvili on January 11. After the meeting President Saakashvili nominated three candidates – then acting CEC chairman Levan Tarkhnishvili (recommended by think-tank Liberty Institute); judge of Constitutional Court Otar Sichinava (recommended by New Generation-New Initiative) and a member of public broadcaster’s board of trustees Zurab Kharatishvili (recommended by ALPE Foundation).

After opposition members of CEC refused to support any of the President-nominated candidates, the Parliament elected Zurab Kharatishvili as the new chairman of CEC.

“While Georgian non-governmental organizations have positively evaluated the initiative on the part of the ruling party and of the President to agree on candidates for the chairmanship of CEC, there remain several questions among the twenty seven non-governmental organizations who participated in the selection of the joint candidate,” three NGOs said in an open letter to President Saakashvili on January 18.

The letter is signed by Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA); Multinational Georgia and Transparency International Georgia, which were among 27 NGOs recommending Eka Siradze for the post.

“Why did you decide to choose the three candidates that were nominated by single, non-governmental organizations and reject the candidate that twenty-seven non-governmental organizations supported?  Please, let us remind you that among these twenty-seven non-governmental organizations are those which are the most active in the area of election monitoring and improving electoral processes,” the open letter reads.

It also asks the President to specify reasons behind his decision to include former CEC chairman, Levan Tarkhnishvili, in the list of three candidates.

“His dismissal was one of the main demands of a large part of the opposition and… during your July 20, 2009 address to the Parliament of Georgia you said that the Central Election Commission chairman would be chosen on the basis of a broad consensus among the main political players,” the letter reads.

The three organizations also said that clarifying these issues “will have a positive impact on the attitudes” of Georgian and international communities toward the upcoming local elections, which “are seen within and outside Georgia as another democratic litmus test.”

Latest News
01 May.'18 10:55
We Have Moved to a New Platform
Direct Your Bookmarks to https://civil.ge.
29 Apr.'18 03:54
Ruling Party Candidate Wins MP By-Elections
Givi Chichinadze will represent Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency in the Parliament of Georgia.
28 Apr.'18 09:40
Polls Open for Vani and Khoni MP By-Elections
48,123 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency.
27 Apr.'18 17:23
State Dept’s Europe Affairs Point Man to Visit Tbilisi
Wess Mitchell will meet senior government officials and address the NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum.
27 Apr.'18 13:45
In Quotes: Georgian Politicians on Ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Comeback
Bidzina Ivanishvili will be approved as the Georgian Dream party chairman at the upcoming convention.
26 Apr.'18 18:15
SG Jens Stoltenberg: Georgia NATO’s ‘Very Close’ Partner
The NATO Secretary General says Foreign Ministers meeting tomorrow will recognize the country’s progress.
26 Apr.'18 14:24
Ex-PM Ivanishvili to Chair Georgian Dream Party
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said Ivanishvili was ‘best equipped’ to add new dynamism to the party.
26 Apr.'18 11:12
Lawmaker Proposes Criminal Liability for ‘Insult of Religious Feelings’
The parliamentary human rights committee decided to set up a working group for scrutinizing the draft law.
25 Apr.'18 17:21
New Abkhaz Government Head Appointed
Gennady Gagulia has served as the Abkhaz “prime minister” twice - in 1995-1997, and 2002-2003.
25 Apr.'18 14:43
Watchdog Improves Georgia’s Press Freedom Ranking
None of the countries of the former Soviet Union (except the Baltics) are ranked ahead of Georgia.

About Civil Georgia
Civil.Ge © 2001-2025, Daily News Online
Registered office: 2 Dolidze Str, 4-th Floor.
21