Georgian government plans to reduce the deadline for summarizing final election results from 26 to 15 days after voting. The change is part of a package of amendments to the Election Code, already registered in Parliament. Under the proposal, the Central Election Commission (CEC) will also be responsible for summarizing results of all municipal council elections, including Tbilisi.
The amendments would also abolish the obligation of district election commissions to randomly select and recount ballots from five polling stations. In addition, the rules for free political advertising would change: unused free airtime could no longer be redistributed among other electoral subjects, while granting more free airtime than legally permitted would be considered a prohibited donation.
Other proposed changes include shortening the deadline for political parties to submit campaign expenditure reports from 12 to five days after election day, revising procedures for registering election observers and clarifying deadlines for appointing representatives and observers in second-round elections.
The legislative package also amends the Local Self-Government Code, transferring responsibility for summarizing all municipal council election results to the CEC. The amendments were initiated by members of the ruling parliamentary majority, including Nodar Turdzeladze, Archil Gorduladze and other lawmakers.
