OSCE Human Rights Office Says Preparations for Elections Hampered

(Tbilisi. April 7, 2003. Civil Georgia) – “Preparations for the elections are hampered by the continuing uncertainties regarding the composition of the Central Election Commission,” says Ambassador Christian Strohal, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). 

The ODHR Public Affairs Unit reported on April 7, that the ODIHR, which plans to observe the upcoming vote, sent an early assessment team to Georgia on 1-4 April to review pre-election preparations.

The ODHR called on the Georgian Parliament “to agree quickly on the new composition of this [Central Election Commission] key body.”

The ODIHR also urges the authorities to undertake all efforts to improve the accuracy of the voter lists, and called on Parliament to consider provisions ensuring the immediate public display of result protocols.

The OSCE Human Rights Office recommends Georgian authorities adopting indelible ink in order to prevent potential multiple voting.

“Georgia faces critical challenges ahead of the forthcoming elections, and the timely resolution of the identified problems is an indispensable condition for restoring public confidence in the electoral process,” Ambassador Strohal said.