GD Parliament Elects CEC Members
The Georgian Dream Parliament has re-elected four members to the country’s Central Election Commission (CEC). Giorgi Dzagania, Dimitri Javakhadze and Giorgi Chikaberidze each received 83 votes, while Giorgi Javakhishvili received 84 votes.
According to the GD Parliament’s press release, Shalva Papuashvili, GD Parliament speaker, stated that with the election of these candidates, the “CEC is now fully staffed with professional members”.
The CEC now has a total of 10 members, including the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary. According to the Georgian Organic Law (Article 10), the CEC generally consists of up to 17 members, seven of whom are either elected by Parliament or appointed by the President, while up to nine members are nominated by political parties. The Speaker of Parliament nominates candidates for membership of the CEC through an open competitive procedure in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia. They are elected for a five-year term.
Who is Who
Giorgi Dzagania has been a member of the CEC since February 2020. He has been involved in election administration since 2008, during which time he has held various positions, including Head of the Department for Relations with Courts and Electoral Disputes (2008-2018) and Head of the Legal Department of the CEC (2018-2020). According to the CEC, Dzagania has also participated as an international observer in elections in Moldova (2019) and South Korea (2018). He was a long-term observer in the 2012 Armenian parliamentary elections as part of the OSCE/ODIHR mission and completed an OSCE training course for long-term observers in 2011.
Dimitri Javakhadze has served on the CEC since December 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Ivane Javakhishvili State University. Javakhadze’s professional background includes experience in education and lecturing, as well as serving as Deputy Chairman of the Isani District Election Commission (2007-2014) and as a member of the same commission (2006-2007).
Giorgi Chikaberidze has been a CEC member since 2015. His previous roles include Chairman of the Kutaisi branch of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (2013-2015), lawyer/advocate at the Legal Aid Center of the same association (2006-2013), and a local observer for the organization in various elections in Georgia (2003-2014).
Giorgi Javakhishvili has been the Secretary of the CEC since February 2015. Prior to this role, he was Deputy Minister of Finance (2013-2015) and General Director of the Service Agency of the Ministry of Finance (2012-2013). He was also a member of the CEC from 2007 to 2012. Earlier in his career, he worked as the Director of LLC “Contrast” (2006-2007), as a lawyer at LLC “Metro” under the Tbilisi City Hall (2006-2007) and as the Chief Specialist of the Parliamentary Relations and Legislation Department at the Legal Department of the Ministry of Economy (2005-2006).
On November 4, 2024, the local observer mission “My Vote” called on the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate officials within the Central Election Commission (CEC) for their alleged involvement in a large-scale vote-rigging scheme. Londa Toloraia, a representative of My Vote, specifically accused CEC Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Deputy Chairman Giorgi Sharabidze and Secretary Giorgi Javakhishvili of playing key roles in manipulating the election process. The organization alleged that these actions violated Article 342 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which relates to the neglect of official duties.
On February 20 of 2024 the Georgian Parliament voted on controversial amendments to the country’s electoral code, which changed the staffing rules of the CEC. According to the new rules, the Speaker of the Parliament replaced the President as an institution tasked with nominating and announcing a competition for the election of the Chairman and the so-called “professional”, or non-partisan members of the CEC. The position of Deputy Chairman of the CEC, which was reserved for a representative of the opposition, was abolished. Although the President vetoed the amendments, the ruling majority overrode the veto, and the amendments officially went into effect.
Also Read:
- 30/04/2024 – Parliament Elects CEC Chair, Members
- 30/10/2024 – Prosecutor Launches Investigation into Election Fraud Allegations, Summons President for Questioning
- 29/08/2024 – TI Georgia: CEC’s New Rule for Drawing Lots in Precinct Commissions Violates Election Code
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