Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

Inter-Institutional Commission for Free and Fair Elections recommends public agencies to halt planned or ongoing optimization process and make relevant decision only in case of disciplinary or other violations.

“The Commission is meeting representatives of civic organizations working on election issues. During those meetings, representatives of civil sector spoke about the problem of firing people from public agencies which they observed during the monitoring procedures. The NGOs think in several cases people were fired based on political grounds.

The Inter-Institutional Commission has clear position with regard to this issue: firing of public servants from their jobs because of their or their family members’ political views is inadmissible and illegal fact. Each case shall be studied in details.

It is also noteworthy that legitimate optimization and reduction procedures might be going on in various administrative institutions and it might be difficult to find out real motive of dismissing a person from job.

Bearing the abovementioned circumstances in mind and to ensure free environment for the 2012 parliamentary elections, in order to avoid grounded or ungrounded accusations of firing people from administrative bodies or subordinated agencies, as well as from public schools, the Inter-Institutional Commission recommends administrative bodies and leaders of subordinate agencies, as well as administrations of public schools to halt planned or possible optimization process due to election process and to make similar decisions only in case of disciplinary or other violations,” the statement of the Commission reads.