Nomination of Candidates for CEC Chair Delayed Again

President Saakashvili has again delayed nomination of three candidates for Central Election Commission (CEC) chairmanship.

He was expected to name the candidates after a meeting with representatives of civil society organizations in Batumi on January 10.

Consultations between the President and the civil society representatives were initially planned for 8pm local time, but were rescheduled for 9pm; however, later the meeting was called off for Sunday and postponed till noon on January 11. Reasons of postponement were not immediately clear.

Nominating candidates for Sunday in itself was already a violation of a deadline – January 8 – set by the newly emended election code.

The opposition members of CEC will have only hours for selecting one candidate from out of three named by the President, as according to the law new chairperson should be elected by opposition members of CEC no later than January 11.

The following parties are eligible to take part in voting: Republican Party (part of Alliance for Georgia); Conservative Party; Labor Party; Industrialists; Christian-Democratic Movement (a leading party in the parliamentary minority) and On Our Own (part of parliamentary minority). At least four votes are required for a candidate to take the CEC chairmanship.

If by January 11 the CEC fails to elect a chairperson, the issue will then move to the Parliament and lawmakers, according to the law, will have to elect one from the three candidates named by the within seven days.

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