Parliament passes planned amendments to the Election Code in the first reading, with 79 votes in favor and 10 against.
Parliament has passed the planned amendments to the Election Code in the first reading, with 79 votes in favor and 10 against.
The draft law, prepared by Georgian Dream MPs, was discussed at the plenary session on November 10, but put to a vote today.
One of the key changes to electoral legislation concerns the procedures for challenging election results. Political parties participating in elections and election-monitoring organizations may be subject to specific requirements when appealing the CEC’s final summary protocol. Without meeting these requirements, their complaints will not be admitted for court proceedings.
In particular, a new article will be added to the Election Code stipulating that the CEC’s summary protocol may be challenged only if it fails to include, or contains incomplete or incorrect information from, the summary protocols of precinct election commissions that should be reflected in the CEC’s final protocol. Appeals will also be permitted if the results of legally binding court rulings concerning violations of electoral legislation are missing, incomplete or incorrectly recorded.
Under the draft law, any complaint submitted to court in violation of these requirements will not be admitted for consideration. If a complaint is accepted, the court will be authorized to examine only the circumstances specified in it and, if a violation is established, order the CEC to correct the relevant data in its summary protocol.
Another proposed change would remove the obligation of district election commissions to select up to five polling stations at random and recount their voting results no later than the sixth day after election day. The relevant provision will be removed from the Election Code.
The powers of election commissions regarding the certification of election results will also change. Instead of district election commissions, the Central Election Commission (CEC) will summarize the final results of parliamentary elections, municipal council elections and mayoral elections, and issue the corresponding summary protocols.
The deadline for certifying election results will be reduced from 26 days to 15 days. Under the proposed amendments, the final results of parliamentary elections, as well as elections to the capital's and all municipal bodies, must be certified no later than the 15th day after election day.
In addition, the deadlines for electoral subjects and candidates to withdraw their candidacies will be changed. The deadline for newly elected municipal councils, council members and mayors to assume their powers will also be shortened: instead of the 14th day after publication of the election results summary protocol, it will be set at the ninth day.
The deadline for submitting to the State Audit Office reports on funds used from the date elections are called through election day will also change. Specifically, an electoral subject that, according to preliminary results, receives the legally required number of votes will have to submit the report no later than the fifth day after election day. Under the current law, the deadline is the 12th day after election day.
Another change envisaged by the amendments is the transfer of a number of powers currently assigned to the CEC and district election commissions directly to the CEC Chairperson and the chairpersons of district election commissions.
Under the proposed amendments, decisions on the registration of election-monitoring organizations, or the refusal to register them, will be issued by the relevant commission chairperson rather than by the CEC or district election commission itself. Similarly, decisions on appointing observers to monitor the printing of ballot papers and summary protocols will be issued by the CEC Chairperson instead of the Central Election Commission.
The draft law was initiated by Georgian Dream MPs Nodar Turdz eladze, Archil Gorduladze, Tornike Chieshvili, Davit Matikashvili, Aluda Ghudushauri and Irakli Shatakishvili. Davit Matikashvili will present the draft to the parliamentary committees.
