When Violation Is Obvious

Eliso Chapidze, deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Resonance”

On January 9 the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Resonance” Lasha Tugushi and one of the authors of the Constitution of Georgia Vakhtang Khmaladze stated that the president of Georgia breached the law and did not nominate the candidates of the CEC Chairperson before 6:00 pm on January 8; he invited NGOs for consultationsin Batumi on January 10. This situation originated many questions.

Apparently, majority in the parliament of Georgia understands the law according to their own wish; they also suggest us not to bother about violation of the law but about Samachablo region (South Ossetia) and Abkhazia. But, unfortunately, their activities cannot be considered to be successful in this field either. They find the ways how to resolve the problem only after it is too late and when we lose territories. Today everybody speaks only about Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia; but very few do real job in this direction.

By the way, neither opposition parties are very concerned about the breached law. Position of several opposition leaders is very strange. They are waiting for the president to nominate the candidates and only after that they will start to protest it. This is not right position of the politicians who want to build just state; however, it is difficult to say how long we should continue living in the theory of reasonability and profitability.

We offer an extract from the law adopted on December 30, 2009 to those, who do not believe that the president breached the law which should result into his impeachment: “Article 129, 11:

1. Chairperson of the Central Election Commission stops his activities on January 1, 2010 under this article and he becomes interim chairperson of the CEC.
2. The president of Georgia starts consultations with NGOs to select 3 candidates for the CEC chairperson. After that, no later than January 8, 2010 the president of Georgia shall nominate and introduce three candidates to the CEC.
3. CEC holds session no later than January 11, 2010 to elect the chairperson and before s/he is elected, the eldest person in the CEC heads the session.
 
As you see, today this law, adopted only 12 days ago, can be breached once more because it will be difficult for the CEC to hold a session today and we will be focused on the hotels in Batumi in order to find out what our president will do there.

Nevertheless, it is difficult not to agree with MP Levan Vepkhvadze who said they might raise question on impeachment but similar request looks very unserious in the parliament we have now. On the other hands, neither national TV-companies are much eager to highlight why it is useless to bring suit to the court; so we live happily… Before we recover from hangover, train of democracy might pass us by and we will hold not only 2010 elections by even 2013 elections superficially. However, it is clear that because of last-year patience, the government will compensate itself with quite a serious victory in the elections and then they will say: we believe in these results and do not care about those who do not believe in it.