The Public Registry (Georgia’s National Agency of Public Registry) has dismissed the registration application of the opposition party “Georgia First.” The reason cited was the failure to rectify identified deficiencies within the established deadline, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian Service reports.
One of the party’s co-founders, Victor Kipiani, applied to the Public Registry on July 2. On July 31, a response was issued stating that discrepancies had been identified in the submitted documents:
- the submitted electronic list (332 individuals) differed from the paper list (364 individuals) — “information in electronic form must be submitted in the same sequence and with the same accuracy as indicated on paper”;
- “the submitted list (in both hard copy and electronic format) contains irregularities”: “the data of 74 individuals contain errors, specifically being incorrect and/or incomplete.”
“An adjusted/corrected, duly executed, and signed list of the political association of citizens ‘Georgia First’ must additionally be submitted to the registering authority, taking into account the aforementioned remarks, both in hard copy and in electronic format,” the registry stated.
In addition, the following circumstances were cited as irregularities:
- “a sketch of the symbols (letterhead) was not submitted to the registering authority”;
- “the following wording in an article of the charter submitted for registration is unclear and requires clarification: ‘in the event of a tie vote, no decision is made.’”
“As a result of comparing the factual circumstances of the case with statutory requirements, it has been established that the submitted documentation does not meet the conditions for registration,” the July 31 decision read.
The registry granted the party a 10-day deadline to rectify the deficiencies, after which “Georgia First” resubmitted the documents. However, the registering authority under the Ministry of Justice determined that “the legal grounds for suspension provided for in the decision had not been eliminated” and dismissed the application on August 17.