Pro-Presidential Bloc Takes Over Lower Level Election Commissions

As a result of decision of the newly appointed Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Nana Devdariani, the pro-presidential election bloc For New Georgia has gained control of lower level election commissions, as the majority of the newly appointed chairpersons of district election commissions (DEC) are the bloc’s supporters.

The opposition fears that by controlling the lower level election administrations, the government will prepare massive vote rigging during the November 2 parliamentary elections.

The opposition parties claim chairpersons of the 70 DECs out of 75 are loyal to government. Candidates, nominated by the opposition parties, were appointed only to 5 districts. Moreover, in the capital city of Tbilisi the government controls all the district election commissions. 21 of the newly appointed chairpersons of the DEC are the same persons who held the posts in the old commissions, that further increases opposition fears that the elections will be rigged.

“I can not make everyone happy. There will be dissatisfied people both in the opposition and on the pro-governmental side. According to the law the decision must have been made by 18:00, September 10. I used a right, granted to me by the law and made the decision. Those who do not like it might appeal to the court,” Nana Devdariani said.

The opposition Labor Party appealed against the decision to a district court; however the court rejected the appeal on September 14. Labor Party, as well as other opposition parties, says “authorities forced Nana Devdariani to appoint their supporters.”

The Labor Party was the first to protest the CEC decision. The party staged a protest rally in front of the CEC on September 10.

“This was the plot by the government, including the Revival and the Industrialists, who forced the CEC chairperson to make such decision. Majority of the assigned candidates were nominees of the regional governors, who support President Shevardnadze,” member of the CEC Badri Niauri of the Labor Party told Civil Georgia.

Decision of the Chairperson of the CEC Nana Devdariani also caused protest of the election observer NGO International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED).

“However, I must admit, that Devdariani is always open for cooperation with us, though in this particular case she did not keep her promise and did not consider suggestion of the non-governmental organizations while making the decision,” says Nugzar Kupreishvili of the ISFED told Civil Georgia.

“It is a very simple picture. Only those, loyal to the government, or working in the governmental structures, were appointed. Those from the opposition are very few, and representatives of the non-governmental organizations are even fewer. Despite our requests, 21 old chairmen were reappointed,” Nugzar Kupreishvili added.

Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the opposition National Movement party and the Chairman of Tbilisi City Council, called on other opposition parties to withdraw their representatives from the DEC “in sign of protest.”

The OSCE, which agreed to assists the Georgian side to nominate candidates for the Central Election Commission Chairmanship post, refused to take part in setting up the lower level commissions. Opposition says that the government has seized this opportunity to establish control over the process.