Tbilisi: The Central Electoral Commission (CEC)of Georgia has issued new rules regarding election conduct. The rules have fuelled fears of election manipulation by the some person with a vested interest.
It is worth noting that the Parliamentary election is going to be held in October. The Ruling regime Georgian Dream has been claiming its victory. On the other hand the opposition parties are also striving to win the election due to the opposition of the government after the implementation of the foreign agents law.
As per the new rules the chairman of each precinct election commission will fix the duties among commission members almost one week before the election instead of on the day of the election as was the rule in past elections.
At the same time under the new rules Security agencies will be allowed to know the identities of the people in advance who hold the highest positions. As per the statement issued by the Central Election Commission of Georgia conducting the procedures of casting different lots to the number of people on election day may create confusion so this task will be completed prior to election day.
The political observers however see this development with different point of views. They also expressed concern about the manipulation of the election process. Similarly the Georgian Young Lawyer Association said that the latest decree issued by the election commission has no legal basis. The GYLA also defended the use of EVMs and said that the last elections which were held using electronic machines did not lead to any delays in opening the precincts.
The watchdog Georgian Young Laweyer Association fears that the new rules issued by the CEC can undermine transparency, increase the risk of intimidation and pressure on commission members and result in an unfair election process. The Tbilisi City Court on the other hand heard the matter during the morning hours of Tuesday but the court’s decision is still pending. The CEC has been arranging the preparation for a fair and transparent election.
