President Offers New Rule of Composition of CEC

(Tbilisi. April 14, 2003. Civil Georgia) – Sub-commission working on the reform of the election system discussed at the meeting on April 13 draft proposed by President Shevardnadze, considering the rule of composition of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

According to the draft CEC will be composed with 9 members. 7 candidatures would be proposed by the President for approval in the Parliament. 2 candidatures will be proposed by the authorities of the Adjarian and Abkhazian Autonomous Republics.

The opposition Parliamentary factions accuse the pro-governmental factions in deliberate hindering of discussion of amendments to the election code, elaborated by the inter-fraction group of the Parliament, which also works on reform of the election system.

The opposition claims that the government wants to keep the current election code and the Central Election Commission.

Last week Parliament failed to start discussion of the amendments prepared by the inter-fraction group because of lack of quorum. Opposition accused the pro-governmental factions in boycotting the Parliamentary session.