THE GEORGIAN LABOUR PARTY v. GEORGIA JUDGMENT
9
“It is true that the repeat parliamentary election results were annulled in the Khulo
and Kobuleti electoral districts and the CEC called a new repeat election by its
Ordinance ... [of 2 April 2004]. However, due to well-known events [tensions
between the central and local authorities], the election was not held ... in those
districts on account of factual circumstances, this being a ground for the annulment of
an administrative act [the CEC Ordinance of 2 April 2004] under Article 60 § 1 (g) of
the General Administrative Code of Georgia.”
Relying on Article 105 § 3 of the EC, the Supreme Court decided that the
repeat election could be considered as having been held, since, according to
the vote tally, more than a third of the total number of voters had taken part
in it.
2. Constitutional proceedings
40. Acting as a private individual, the Chairman of the applicant party
challenged CEC Decree no. 30/2004 of 27 February 2004 (the rules on the
composition of electoral rolls) and Ordinance no. 94/2004 of 18 April 2004
(the vote tally) before the Constitutional Court. He claimed that the system
of preliminary voter registration, the disfranchisement of the Khulo and
Kobuleti constituencies and the presidential control of the electoral
administration had infringed the constitutional principle of free and fair
elections.
41. On 25 May 2004 the Constitutional Court declared the claim
inadmissible. It reasoned that, since it was not a normative act, the disputed
Ordinance could not be challenged before the Constitutional Court. As to
the impugned Decree, it considered that, firstly, the claimant had failed to
substantiate how this normative act had infringed any of his constitutional
rights. Secondly, it stated that the claimant, as a private person, did not have
standing to challenge the constitutionality of the election, this right being
reserved by section 37 of the Constitutional Court Act for the President of
Georgia and a specific number of MPs.
II. RELEVANT DOMESTIC LAW
42. The Constitution of Georgia, as worded prior to 6 February 2004,
provides:
Article 50 § 4
“The mandate of the previous Parliament shall cease immediately after the first
meeting of the newly elected Parliament.”