In the initial reading, the Parliament deliberated on the draft Electoral Code and the associated amendment to the Rules of Procedure. The presented amendment pertains to the procedure for appointing the chairman and members of the Central Election Commission.

To elaborate, as Speaker Givi Mikanadze clarified, instead of the 76 votes as mandated by the existing legislation, a consensus of 3/5 of the total members of the Parliament, equating to 90 votes, will be requisite for electing these positions for a 5-year tenure.

Should a candidate fail to secure the support of 3/5 of the parliament, the matter will proceed to a vote, and the prevailing choice will be determined by the majority of the entire parliamentary body. If the 76-vote threshold cannot be attained, the issue will be reevaluated during the subsequent session, allowing the candidate another opportunity to garner the support of 76 votes. In the event that the requisite number of votes is still not achieved to back a specific candidate, the President of the country will then appoint a chairman or member of the CEC from among the participants in the competition, serving a 5-year term.

According to Givi Mikanadze, pending the majority’s decision, this bill will be submitted to the Venice Commission for expert evaluation following the initial reading. The Parliament voted in favor of the project presented during the first reading and approved it with 81 votes.