New CEC Chief Elected

The Parliament elected Zurab Chiaberashvili on the Central Election Commission Chairmanship position on November 30 with 106 votes to 1.

Zurab Chiaberashvili was director of the election watchdog NGO International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), which conducted parallel vote tabulation (PVT) during the November 2 parliamentary elections.

The differences in the PVT and official results of the elections became one of the most powerful leverage in the hands of the opposition to prove that the election results were rigged by the authorities.

The Interim President Nino Burjanadze proposed Zurab Chiaberashvili.

Nino Burjanadze also withdrew 5 members of the CEC, who were appointed by ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze.

However it is anticipated that the CEC will be further reshuffled as the lawmakers intend to amend the rule of the composition of the commission.