Political Party Leaders Discuss Election System

(Tbilisi. May 3, 2003. Civil Georgia) – Today leaders of the political parties gathered at the Industrialist Party’s office in Tbilisi to reach an agreement over the rule of composition of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

State Minister Avtandil Jorbenadze, which is the chief of the election HQ of the Presidential-backed election alliance and Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze also participate in the meeting.

The leaders of the political parties will try to reach consensus over the reform of the election system.

There are two projects on the rule of composition of the CEC – one suggested by the pro-Presidential parties and another one – by the opposition.

The opposition demands further discussion of the project, adopted by the Parliament with the first hearings last year. This project considers composition of CEC by representatives of the political parties, which have cleared the 4% threshold in the Parliamentary (1999) and local self-governance (2002) elections.

If this proposal will be implemented representatives of the Citizens’ Union of Georgia, Revival, Industrialists, National Democratic Party, United Democrats, National Movement, New Rights, Unity and the Labors’ parties would composed the CEC.

In this case the opposition parties would gain a minor, but still important quantitative advantage in CEC, which, of course is not in the government’s interests.

A project of amendments to the Election Code, submitted to the Parliament under the President’s initiative, suggests creating 11-member commission, 9 of which would be nominated by the President for approval by the Parliament.

Two other candidates are to be proposed by the authorities of the Abkhaz (in exile) and Adjarian Autonomous Republics. At the same time, none of the CEC members shall be a representative of a political party.

The opposition claims that the implementation of this project would lead to the full control of President over the CEC that is undemocratic.

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