Georgian CEC refused to register Zourabichvili as presidential candidate
By Nazrin Gadimova
Georgia's former Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili has been denied in registration as a presidential candidate, the Central Election Commission (CEC) reported on Sept. 3.
The CEC made such a decision referring to the 11th paragraph of the 29th section of the Georgian Constitution, which states that the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament can not have dual citizenship.
Zourabichvili said that she intends to take the matter to the court. Her interests in court will be defended by the authoritative non-governmental organization Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA).
The GYLA, in turn, reported that the decision of the CEC is incompetent because the Constitution prohibits holding of the post by those, who have a dual citizenship, but not prohibits participating in the presidential election.
"After the election Zourabichvili may renounce the second citizenship and take this position in accordance with the law," the organization said.
Number of candidates for presidency who appealed to the CEC for registration has reached 49, while four of them have been denied in registration.
To be registered, the candidate must collect at least 26,530 signatures (0.75 percent of the total number of voters). The deadline for submitting signatures is September 17, and the date when the recent changes to them can be made is September 22.
Ruling Georgian Dream coalition's representative Giorgi Margvelashvili, former ruling United National Movement's candidate Davit Bakradze, Labour Party's candidate Shalva Natelashvili, Christian-Democratic Movement's representative Giorgi Targamadze and others have already applied for registration in the Central Election Commission.
According to the CEC, there are 3,5 million voters in Georgia.
The 2013 presidential election in Georgia is scheduled for October. This will be the 6th presidential election after the country's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The last one, held on January 5, 2008, resulted in the election of Mikheil Saakashvili for his second and final presidential term. According to the constitution, Saakashvili cannot run for a third consecutive term.