The Parliament did not accept the motivated remarks presented by President Salome Zurabishvili concerning changes to the Election Code. Twenty-one out of the 116 MPs registered supported the remarks while 61 were against.
Additionally, the initial version of the amendments to the Election Code was voted on and passed by a significant margin, with 78 votes in favour and 13 against.
President Zurabishvili vetoed the amendments to the Georgian Election Code on March 5, which were initially adopted by the Parliament on February 20.
These changes primarily focus on the process of electing the chairperson and professional members of the Central Election Commission (CEC). They introduce a three-stage process for their election, requiring a quorum of 3/5 votes. If 90 votes are not secured on the first voting, candidates can be elected with 76 votes. Nominated candidates can receive support with 76 votes twice, after which the successful candidate will hold office for five years. If 76 supporting votes cannot be gathered, the matter will be transferred to the President for decision. The President will appoint candidates from the list provided by the Parliament for five years.
Furthermore, the amendments also involve changes to the regulations of the Parliament, specifying that the Parliament Speaker will announce the candidate selection competition instead of the President. The Speaker will also present nominations for the CEC Chair and its members to the Parliament. Additionally, the position of the deputy chairman of the CEC, appointed by the opposition quota, is abolished according to the draft law.
Related story: Speaker: Parliament to override President’s veto on Election Code amendments
