ISFED, Georgian Young Lawyers' Association and Transparency International - Georgia have released a joint statement. According to them, despite a number of statements of the NGOs, the Central Election Commission appointed the second round of elections on a working day.

The NGOs say that the appointment of the second round of elections on a working day creates barriers for certain groups in terms of realizing their constitutional rights.

"This contradicts the essence of the election administratio - to ensure fair, equal and accessible environment for everyone. The election administration should serve the interests of every citizen of Georgia. However, in this case, the Central Election Commission failed to serve this aim," the statement reads.

According to the NGOs, the election administration did not take into account the interests of Georgian citizens residing abroad and their right to participate in the elections by creating an artificial barrier for them.

"In order to reduce the damage caused by this barrier, the Central Election Commission extended the voting time to 12:00 pm for the polling stations abroad. However, it is unlikely that this will help the voters who have to go to another city in order to vote due to their work or education.

Furthermore, by adopting this regulation, the Central Election Commission exceeded its mandate and violated the Election Code of Georgia, as the Code clearly says that polling stations shall be closed at 20.00," reads the NGOs’ statement.