Determination of a sequence number for a candidate for President of Georgia

1. A sequence number of an electoral subject shall be determined under the procedure established by this article not later than the 30th day before the Election Day. In order to determine the sequence number of an electoral subject, the appropriate procedures shall be performed at the premises of a respective election commission in the presence of persons authorised to attend sessions of the election commission.

2. An electoral subject/candidate for electoral subject that has received 0.75% or more than 0.75% of votes in the last general elections held under the proportional system may, not later than the 57th day before elections, apply to a respective election commission and request that it participate in the elections with a sequence number which was assigned to it during the last general elections.

3. If a sequence number was assigned to an electoral bloc under paragraph 2 of this article during the last general elections, the first party specified on the list of the electoral bloc members shall be allowed to use this number.

4. If an electoral bloc has been formed by parties, of which at least one party is allowed to have a sequence number under paragraph 2 of this article, the electoral bloc shall have the right to request that the sequence number be assigned to it by casting lots, or specify in the statute of the electoral bloc the sequence number of which party with this right it will use.

5. An electoral subject/candidate for electoral subject may, not later than the 57th day before elections, refuse to use a sequence number assigned to it under the procedure established by paragraphs 2 and 3 of this article. In this case, it, and an electoral subject which did not participate in the last general elections or participated in it as part of an electoral bloc and which was not specified first on the list of the bloc members, shall be assigned a sequence number by casting lots.

6. In order to cast lots, the commission chairperson shall write the numbers corresponding to the quantity of parties and electoral blocs independently running in the elections on the sheets of paper of the same form and type, and with the same pen. Natural numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) shall be used for the sequence numbers. If the sequence number of an electoral subject with the right to choose a sequence number is higher than the quantity of the electoral subjects and the electoral subject retains the number, the number of this electoral subject shall be written down instead of the highest sequence number. Each sheet of paper shall be certified by the seal of the election commission. After the sheets of paper are certified, the sequence numbers that were chosen according to the procedure established in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this article shall be set aside. All remaining sheets of paper shall be folded in such a way as to make it impossible to read the numbers written on them. The CEC Chairperson shall place the filled out sheets of paper in a transparent box, and the representatives of the parties and electoral blocs shall, one by one, take the sheets of paper out of the box according to the sequence of the electoral registration they have gone through. The number identified by casting lots shall be become the sequence number of an electoral subject.}

7. A candidate for President of Georgia/candidate for Mayor/majoritarian candidate nominated by a party/electoral bloc shall have the same sequence number that is assigned to the party/electoral bloc which has nominated him/her.

8. A respective DEC shall assign a sequence number to the candidate nominated by an initiative group of voters, by casting lots. In order to cast lots, the DEC chairperson shall write, on the sheets of paper, the number of which corresponds to the quantity of majoritarian candidates/candidates for Mayor nominated by the initiative group of voters in the electoral district, of the same form and type and with the same pen, the numbers which start from the numeric following the highest sequence number assigned to the parties/electoral blocs running in elections. Each sheet of paper shall be certified by the seal of the DEC concerned. Each sheet of paper shall be folded in such a way as to make it impossible to read the numbers written on them. The respective DEC chairperson shall place the filled out sheets of paper in a transparent box, and the representatives of the initiative group of voters shall, one by one, take the sheets of paper out of the box. The number identified by casting lots shall become the number of an electoral subject.

9. If the electoral registration of an electoral subject is cancelled, the remaining electoral subjects shall retain their assigned sequence numbers in the ballot papers.

10. During by-elections/extraordinary elections of the executive municipality body – Mayor, an electoral subject shall retain the sequence number it was assigned during respective general elections. If an electoral subject has no sequence number for byelections/ extraordinary elections of the executive municipality body – Mayor, it shall be assigned a sequence number by casting lots, under the procedure established by this article.

11. The registered party lists, and the data of a registered candidate for President of Georgia/candidate for Mayor/majoritarian candidate, which are entered in a ballot paper, shall be published by the CEC on its official website not later than the 25th day before the polling day.

Organic Law of Georgia No 3272 of 21 July 2018 – website, 30.7.2018