§ Article 19Setting up of DECs

Setting up of DECs

1. A DEC is a standing territorial body of the Electoral Administration of Georgia. The CEC shall set up DECs by a majority of the total number of CEC
members. A DEC has an official seal with its name on it, stamp, independent balance sheet, and settlement and current bank accounts. The DEC
chairperson and accountant are responsible for the DEC expenditure authorised by the CEC. A DEC may spend funds allocated for elections from any
account opened with any commercial bank and/or its branch office.

2. The CEC may set up by decree at least 1 DEC in one or more self-governing units and 10 DECs in Tbilisi.

3. The DEC chairperson/member shall be elected for a term of five years, while the tenure of a DEC member elected by the CEC following the
announcement of an election under the fifth paragraph of this article shall be determined for a period starting with their appointment and ending with
the announcement of final results of the respective elections.

4. Five members of a DEC shall be elected for a five year-term by a majority vote of the total members of the CEC.

5. After announcing an election, 7 members of a DEC shall be appointed by the parties under Article 13 of this Law and 1 member shall be appointed by
a majority vote of the total members of the CEC for a period ending with the announcement of final results of the respective elections.

6. The decision of a party on the appointment of a DEC member shall be submitted to the CEC within seven calendar days after calling elections. If the
authorised parties fail to appoint DEC members within the time frame determined in this paragraph, the CEC may fill the number of DEC members to
13 on the day following the expiration of the time frame as determined by this Law.

7. A DEC shall elect head officers from among its members by a majority vote of the total number of DEC members.

8. A DEC shall not be placed in the same building as the offices of Governor (state trustee) Administration, Sakrebulo and Gamgeoba, political party
(parties), court, and police.

81. A party, or election headquarters of a party/electoral bloc/initiative group may not be located in the building where a DEC is located.

9. A DEC may hire as many assisting and technical personnel (except for an accountant) as determined by CEC decree after announcing an election until
to the end of it.

10. A DEC may hire as many accountants as provided for by the ninth paragraph of this article until the end of the procedures defined in Article 53(5) of
this Law.

Organic Law of Georgia No 2093 of 7 March 2014 – website, 14.3.2014