looed30 Jan 2020 10:47
In response to Dalloz’s question, President Zurabishvili brought up a common expression of a half-empty, half-full glass, saying that on the one hand, selection hearings were televised and open to public scrutiny, which added to transparency of the entire process, while, on the other hand, questions were raised about the criteria of selection and competence of certain candidates.
In this case, President Zurabishvili stressed, we should consider the fact that Georgia stems from the Soviet Past, when the judiciary was “completely discredited.” “This cannot change in a matter of a day,” she said. According to Zurabishvili, ODIHR’s recommendations have been taken into account as the selection process had been temporarily halted. The President expressed hope that the quality of selection criteria and all that is “in question” shall be refined by the time selection process resumes.
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Here Zurabishvili drew parallel with the electoral reform in Georgia. She refused to comment about the details because the issue “was partisan” and she had to uphold impartiality as the guarantor of Georgia’s Constitution. However, she noted that there was a lively discussion regarding the amendment in the electoral Code of Georgia which involved parliamentary parties and other stakeholders alike.
She also cited the Constitution that “from 2024, elections shall be carried out through proportional voting.” Zurabishvili expressed confidence that all, if not most of OSCE/ODIHR recommendations would be implemented until the forthcoming elections.
The President put a special emphasis on the importance of frie