Georgian Parliament Speaker: decision on Election Code aims to shield Georgian emigrants from external pressure

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday emphasised that the recent decision on the Election Code was designed to protect Georgian emigrants from foreign interference, ensuring their votes were not exploited as a political tool outside the country.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the updated Code has drawn minimal criticism, with the main debate focusing solely on whether polling stations should operate abroad.

“What we have heard recently is noteworthy - they have no remarks on 99% of the Code’s provisions. This is already a good sign. A new code was needed because, due to many amendments, the old text had become too complicated. Therefore, there is no major criticism. The only issue the radical opposition is trying to present is the opening or non-opening of polling stations abroad. The arguments for this decision are quite clear, and the opposition could not provide a counterargument. We reiterate once again that we cannot take responsibility for ensuring the free expression of the will of our citizens outside our jurisdiction. This is our constitutional obligation”, he said.

The Speaker further highlighted the growing interest of external actors in influencing Georgia’s elections.

“We see that the interest in interfering in Georgia’s elections is very high. Last year we witnessed blatant interference in the elections by ambassadors and leaders of various countries. Therefore, it is expected that this pressure on our emigrants will increase even more compared to last year, when a high-ranking German official - the Chair of a Bundestag committee - was personally involved in influencing the will of voters on German soil”, he noted.

The new regulations, he explained, were intended to relieve emigrants from pressure while safeguarding the constitutional integrity of the electoral process.

“This will all intensify - it will grow - and it is precisely to relieve this pressure from our emigrants that this decision was made, so that no one in a foreign jurisdiction can attempt to use them as a weapon against their own country through coercion”, Papuashvili concluded.

The ruling Georgian Dream party recently announced changes to the Election Code. According to Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, lawmakers plan a fundamental update to the code by the end of the year. One of the key modifications concerns voting rules for non-resident citizens - those living abroad. Under the proposed changes, voting in both local self-governance elections and parliamentary elections would be permitted only within the borders of Georgia.