The Central Election Commission (CEC) has passed a decision introducing regulations for filming inside polling stations during the voting day imposing less restriction than initially proposed. The decision was passed by 13-member CEC shortly before the midnight on September 24. CEC members from the Conservative Party and Industrialists, both within the Georgian Dream coalition, voted against, citing that there was no need to introduce any regulations for making video recordings and taking photos inside polling stations on the election day. CEC members from ruling party, UNM, as well as Christian-Democratic Movement were among those who voted in favor; Labor Party representative was absent. Initial proposal was offering to give journalists and others, authorized to be present inside the precinct, only five minutes to film and take pictures of the voting inside polling station.
According to the final version, which was passed, cameramen and photographers, as well as observers and party representatives, will be able to move freely and take shots from anywhere inside the polling station (except of voting booth) for ten minutes; after those ten minutes expire, they will have to take a specially designated place within the precinct and continue filming from there or journalists will have to leave the polling station; the CEC decision specifies that a ballot box should be visible from this specially designated place. If a cameraman or a photographer decides to leave this specially designated place, he/she won’t be able to return to that place in the same polling station and continue filming. If a cameraman/photographer violates these rules, members of precinct election commission will have to decide to expel him/her from polling station with majority vote.
Full Article: Civil.Ge | CEC Imposes Polling Station Filming Rules, Drops Initial Plan of Tough Restrictions.