Kutaisi Regional Election Commission Started Working

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

Kutaisi District Election Commission # 59 staffed with five permanent members, one representative from the Central Election Commission, seven from political parties started preparation for the presidential elections of October 27, 2013.

Representatives of the Georgian Dream, Republic Party, National Movement, Conservative Party, Entrepreneurs and National Forum will be responsible for the votes received from 127 precincts in Kutaisi DEC during upcoming presidential elections.

The 13-member commission representatives said everything is ready for their work without any obstacles in peaceful and busy environment. The number of precinct election commissions was not changed either, though one precinct Gora Sakuslia precinct was added to the list of PECs in Kutaisi.

“It is PEC # 75 which will unify 75th and 74th PECs. So, the number of precincts will not be changed. Again, 127 precincts will be opened in Kutaisi,” said Avtandil Osepaishvili, chairman of the Kutaisi DEC # 59.

As for the PEC members, as DEC representatives said they are about to announce competition for the selection of PEC members.

Interested people will have possibility to send applications to the DEC from August 19 till September 3. As for the competition requirements, the DEC members said they have not yet formulated criteria.

“Each PEC will have 13 members. Six members will be selected via competition. Other seven members will be representatives of political parties,” said Avtandil Osepaishvili.

As for political parties, part of them has already selected candidatures for PEC membership; another part is considering old members of election commissions.

“We usually hear during every election that people were bribed, that commission members did not pay attention to some violations, etc. It might be caused by the failure of political parties to carefully select its representatives in election commissions. We do not face similar problem. Moreover, we have had one and the same representatives in election commissions for the last six elections. When we were in the opposition, we did not have problems with any commission member; and now, when we are in the government, we will definitely not have any problems. So, we are not going to change representatives,” chairwoman of the Republic Party’s Kutaisi organization Nato Katamadze told humanrights.ge. 

Political parties will introduce their representatives to the Kutaisi DEC in near future.