21 June 2021, 14:01
Georgian CEC refuses to register referendum on Namakhvan HPP
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia has denied the initiative of a group of activists to hold a referendum on the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) in Namakhvani, the "News-Georgia" Agency has reported today citing the CEC.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 27, opponents of the construction of the Namakhvan HPP stopped their protests in Tbilisi and resumed their action in the village of Gumati in Western Georgia, where they blocked the office of the "Enka" Company, which is building the HPP.
Protests against the construction of the Namakhvan HPP continue for almost six months. On March 29, the Prime Minister of Georgia announced that the construction of the Namakhvan HPP would be suspended for 9-12 months in order to thoroughly check its impact on the environment. However, on April 4, the preparatory works for the construction of the Namakhvan cascade of hydroelectric power plants were resumed despite Georgian authorities' promises.
In their application on holding the referendum, activists suggested the following question: "Do you agree or disagree that the Namakhvani HPP was built on the terms of an agreement concluded between the Georgian Government and the ENKA Company", the "Sputnik Georgia" has clarified with reference to the CEC of Georgia.
The CEC has treated this wording as unclear and refused to register the referendum. The issue that restricts the freedom to dispose of property, is contrary to the Georgian Constitution, the CEC has stated. The CEC has also decided that the positive answer to the above referendum question would limit the parties' ability to change or break the agreement, which is contrary to their interests, the "Sputnik Georgia" has added.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 21, 2021 at 08:41 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: The Caucasian Knot
