Organizations working on the election issues have released a statement responding to the resignation of Tamar Zhvania, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission.

“We believe that this decision can significantly contribute to increasing confidence in the election administration and the electoral process for the 2021 local elections.

The dominance of the Georgian Dream in the 2020 elections, the imbalances in the summary protocols during the tabulation of voting results and the poor practice of responding to them, as well as the improper consideration of election disputes, significantly reduced trust in the electoral process.

This has led to the need to change the rules for staffing the election administration as part of the electoral reform, which implies the selection of CEC members on the basis of high legitimacy.

It is necessary to select the kind of candidates for the vacant positions of the new CEC chairperson and other professional members, who will increase confidence in the election administration, thus facilitating the effective implementation of electoral reform.

At the same time, we consider it important that the selection of highly qualified, experienced and impartial candidates for this position should be based on the maximum consensus among the parliamentary political parties.

It is essential that the process of electing the CEC chairperson be conducted in accordance with the rules established by law, as openly and transparently as possible”, - reads the statement signed by ISFED, GYLA, TI Georgian and Open Society Foundation.