"Transparency International-Georgia" believes that the changes planned by the parliamentary majority in the election legislation, which change the procedure for staffing the CEC, are in contradiction with the requirements of the European Commission.

As the chairman of the organization, Eka Gigauri noted at today's press conference, the changes do not take into account any of the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR.

"Transparency International-Georgia" calls on the Parliament of Georgia to refuse to adopt the mentioned bill.

"The draft law contradicts the conclusion of the Venice Commission, it also contradicts the 9 steps defined by the European Commission, which, among other requirements, require full consideration of the OSCE/ODIR recommendations, the independence and impartiality of the election administration. The draft law, if adopted, will continue the trend of full concentration of power by the ruling party, It will retain the unlimited authority to elect professional members of the CEC and full control over the entire vertical of the election administration. We believe that the adoption of the draft law in its current form will not contribute to raising the confidence of the electorate in the election administration and holding free, fair and competitive parliamentary elections on October 26 of this year. Also, it is possible , the draft law will seriously hinder the process of Georgia's integration into the European Union", - noted "Transparency International-Georgia".

The non-governmental organization calls on the Parliament of Georgia to refuse to adopt the draft law in its current form and to develop and approve such changes as soon as possible, which will be in full agreement with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. In addition, "Transparency International-Georgia" calls on the President of Georgia to use the right of veto granted by the constitution, in case the bill is passed in the third reading.

"We ask the parliament to stop the adoption of this bill, and we also ask them to make real reforms and changes in the electoral direction. This year we have a very important year because we must fulfill the 9 steps that the European Union is talking about. On the other hand, we must also fulfill the EU's Recommendations concerning the fair conduct of elections. For now, there is time to do everything so that at the end of the year the EU can make a decision to start membership negotiations. Therefore, we once again ask the governing party to review these changes and make a political decision on whether that he will fulfill 9 reservations related to elections and electoral reform", said Eka Gigauri.

For information, taking into account the legislative initiative of the ruling majority, the chairman of the CEC and the so-called The procedure for electing professional members and the quorum is changing once again - a quorum of 3/5 votes is included in the process of their election.

The draft law envisages a 3-stage process for electing the CEC chairman and members. According to the project, 90 votes will be required on the first ballot. In the event that 90 votes cannot be secured, the election will be made with 76 votes.

It will be possible to receive support for specific candidates with 76 votes twice, and the candidates elected with 76 votes will start exercising their powers for a period of 5 years.