Preliminary Results of Monitoring the Staffing of the Election Administration

On September 30, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) and Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) published preliminary results of monitoring staffing of the election administration. Monitoring the Staffing of the Election Administration is a joint project of the NGOs, carried out throughout 73 election districts of Georgia for the purpose of studying staffs of the precinct election commissions (PECs).

The project aims at studying recruitment of members of the election administration and providing the election administration with recommendations for the purpose of improving the practice of staffing election commissions and building trust in the commissions. In frames of the project we conducted a statistical research of PECs throughout Georgia in 396 election precincts identified based on random and representative statistical selection.

According to the NGOs, first meetings of PECs were held in a timely manner; chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and secretaries of PECs were also elected in a timely manner. Most of the PECs fulfilled the obligation of publishing voter lists (96,7%) and procedures for filing complaints over voter lists (79,7%).

According to the research, 64,3% of PEC members were women, whereas 35,7% were men. Research of qualification and experience of members of commissions revealed that only 17,4% of members elected by DEC quotas hold election officer’s certificate, and 47,5% of PECs have at least one member holding the certificate.

In frames of the research it was revealed that 83,3% of 4159 members of PECs have elections-related experience. ISFED and GYLA examined distribution of secretaries according to individual parties. Research of 382 PECs revealed that positions of PEC secretaries are mostly held by members appointed the European Democrats, the Christian-Democratic Movement and the Christian Democratic People’s Party:

European Democrats – 35,9%

Christian-Democratic Movement – 25,7%

Christian Democratic People’s Party - 18,6%

Industry Will Save Georgia - 6,5%

Conservative Party - 5,5%

Labor Party - 1,3%

In addition to other information, the NGOs identified 52 cases of alleged conflict of interests among PEC members in 12,6% of PECs, including family ties and direct or indirect subordination at permanent workplace. The monitoring also revealed 75 individuals who had been subjected to disciplinary liability during the 2010 municipal elections and were still elected by DECs as PEC members, most of which – 33 persons – was elected to Khobi Election District. Total of 16 persons who had been subject to the disciplinary liability were appointed in Kutaisi District’s election administration. This information is a preliminary data published by the NGOs. Extensive and detailed analysis of monitoring the staffing of the election administration will be published by ISFED and GYLA in final report of the project in late October 2012.

In frames of the project the NGOs will be monitoring compliance of the code of ethics by officers of the election administration, as well as any violations of the election laws and imposition of corresponding liability on the Election Day and beyond.

The project of monitoring the staffing of the election administration has been funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). The project is jointly implemented by ISFED and GYLA, with support of the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

See the attached document.