The Legal Issues Committee discussed and supported, at I reading, amendments to the Election Code, together with the accompanying draft Organic Law.

According to the reporter, Davit Matikashvili, Chair of the Procedural Issues Committee, the current legislation provides for different procedures for summing up the final election results, while the proposed amendments envisage uniform deadlines and procedures for determining the final election results.

Under the draft law, the final results of both municipal body elections and elections to the Parliament of Georgia will be summed up, and the relevant summary protocols will be drawn up no later than the 15th day following election day. The Central Election Commission (CEC) will also be responsible for summing up the final election results and drawing up the relevant summary protocols.

According to Davit Matikashvili, at polling stations where electronic vote-counting machines are used, after the preliminary results of the vote are printed out, the vote-counting procedures are carried out by counters selected by lot, following which the summary protocol of voting results is drawn up. At polling stations where electronic vote-counting machines are not used, ballot papers will be converted into digital format and published online within two days.

“Taking these circumstances into account, there is no longer a need to identify, on the basis of random selection, up to five additional polling stations and recount the voting results there no later than the sixth day following election day. Accordingly, District Election Commissions will no longer be required to randomly select polling stations and recount the voting results at the polling stations identified in this manner”, - the reporter noted.

Under the proposed amendments, decisions on the registration of international and local observer organisations, or on the refusal of such registration, will be issued by the chairperson of the relevant election commission, rather than by the CEC or the respective District Election Commission.

The draft law establishes deadlines for notifying an authorised political party and nominating a new member if a person nominated by the party as a member of a District Election Commission or a Precinct Election Commission is already a member of the same or another election commission.

It is also stipulated that the obligation to allocate free airtime for political advertising during by-elections will apply only to local broadcasters. Furthermore, political and pre-election advertisements must be produced in such a way that the name, identification number and/or symbol of the electoral subject are clearly visible throughout the advertisement.

According to Davit Matikashvili, the deadline for submitting to the State Audit Office a report on funds used from the date of calling the elections until election day is also being changed. Specifically, an electoral subject that, according to preliminary data, obtains the legally required number of votes in the elections must submit the report no later than the fifth day following election day, instead of the twelfth day.

The draft law also changes the deadline for cancelling the registration of a registered candidate at the candidate's own initiative or at the initiative of the political party. Specifically, candidate registration may be cancelled no later than the 17th day before election day, instead of the 16th day before election day. The circumstances under which ballot papers placed in a mobile ballot box are referred to the District Election Commission for a decision are also clarified.

As Davit Matikashvili noted, corresponding amendments are also planned to the Local Self-Government Code.

The Legal Issues Committee supported the submission of the legislative package to the plenary session for consideration.