TI Georgia Condemns CEC Decree for Undermining Election Transparency
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, August 30, 2024
On August 29, Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) issued a statement condemning a recent decree by the Central Election Commission (CEC), which the watchdog claims undermines the transparency of the electoral process and violates the Election Code. The decree changes the timeline for drawing lots to assign duties among election commission members, shifting the process to one week before the election, rather than on election day as previously required.
TI Georgia highlighted the importance of the roles assigned through this lottery, particularly the voter registrar and the flow regulator, in preventing multiple voting and ensuring fair elections. The organization noted that the previous procedure allowed civil society organizations (CSOs), international observers, and political party representatives to monitor the lottery on election day. However, the new rule makes it nearly impossible to organize large-scale observation across more than 3,000 precincts in Georgia and abroad, as the process will now occur well before election day.
The CEC justified the changes by citing Article 14, Part 1, Subsection "C" of the Election Code of Georgia, which permits the CEC to alter certain deadlines in "exceptional cases" to ensure smooth election day operations. However, TI Georgia argues that the CEC is ignoring another part of the same article, which prohibits changes to election day procedures. The watchdog also criticized the CEC for failing to specify what "exceptional case" necessitated the change, noting that no issues arose during the 2023 midterm elections, which used the same technologies and procedures planned for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
TI Georgia has called on the CEC to revoke the decree and adhere to the deadlines set by the Election Code for conducting the lottery procedure on election day.
The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA) echoed this sentiment in its Amicus Curiae brief, issued on August 20, also urging the CEC to respect the established procedures.
