President Nominates Three Candidates for CEC Chair

Salome Zurabishvili, the Georgian President, has named three candidates for the position of Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Tamar Zhavania, incumbent CEC chair, Mariam Shelegia, an employee of the Government administration, and Vladimer Bozhadze, head of the Civil Society and Democracy Development Center were nominated for the position. Their candidacies were submitted to the CEC on 21 December.

Two leading election watchdogs - the Transparency International Georgia and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy did not attend the meeting, describing the meeting to be rushed. “This meeting was organized in a very hasty manner, and it was absolutely pro forma; as it seems, the President has already decided who to nominate,” said TI Georgia's Eka Gigauri.

The Chair of the CEC will serve a 5-year term. Tamar Zhvania, who has been re-nominated this year, has served as the CEC Chair since 2013. Legislation permits her to seek a second term.

By Amy Jones

Photo: IWPR