Parliament Approves New CEC

The Parliament approved on June 3 seven members of the new Central Election Commission. Gia Kavtaradze was approved with 147 votes to 0 as the Chairman of the CEC.

The opposition parliamentarians refused to support nominations citing that most of the nominations were affiliated with ruling National Movement party, allegations strongly denied by the new members of CEC.

These new members of the CEC, which according to the law should not be affiliated to any political party, are:

1. Gia Kavtaradze ? the Chairman of the CEC is a former secretary of Justice Council and latter one of the founders of legal and financial consulting firm DVNK. Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli, Chairman of Ajdara Autonomous Republic?s government Levan Varshalomidze were co-founders of this firm;
2. Emzar Pazhava ? former Deputy Governor of Samegrelo region in western Georgia;
3. Lukhum Burjaliani ? a senior lawyer at the Georgian Parliament?s Apparatus;
4. Guram Chagalashvili ? lawyer at the Central Election Commission;
5. Giorgi Areshidze ? professor, Tbilisi State University;
6. Gizo Mchedlidze ? unemployed;
7. Alexander Gongadze ? senior fellow at the Georgian Institute of Physics, the Georgian Academy of Science.

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