“Georgian Dream” is beginning work on a new Election Code. As announced today at a briefing by the Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, the Code will be completely revised. One of the changes stipulates that, similar to local self-government elections, citizens will be able to vote in parliamentary elections only within the borders of Georgia.

“The current Election Code was adopted in 2011 and has since undergone more than 100 amendments. As a result, the text has become difficult to understand, many provisions are duplicated, much of the Code is placed in transitional provisions that are effectively invalid, and the structure requires organization. For these reasons, a complete revision of the Code has been on the agenda for several years. The new draft addresses these issues. The new Election Code will systematize and technically refine the norms, clarify procedures, eliminate duplicate provisions, and produce a unified, easily understandable, and functionally coherent text. These changes are essentially technical in nature but significantly improve the normative framework of the electoral process.

One important change concerns non-resident citizens — those living abroad — and the procedure for voting in elections. First and foremost, it should be emphasized that nothing changes regarding the electoral rights of citizens residing in another country. At the same time, the change concerns the voting procedure, stipulating that, similar to local self-government elections, citizens will be able to vote in parliamentary elections only within the borders of Georgia.

This decision is fundamentally based on Article 24 of the Constitution of Georgia, which obliges the state to ensure the free expression of will, including freedom from external interference. Elections worldwide are increasingly vulnerable to external interference. Allegations of foreign interference in elections are becoming more frequent, whether in the United States or in EU member states. The 2024 parliamentary elections in Georgia also clearly demonstrated how open and blatant informational and political pressure from abroad can be on voters.

In this regard, non-resident citizens face particular risks because they are under foreign jurisdictions and political environments where the state cannot prevent interference. In addition, non-resident citizens are more susceptible to informational manipulation. Generally, a person receives information about the political and economic environment and social needs from two sources: one is the media, which filters information according to editorial policies, and the other is so-called unfiltered information received through personal interactions with society or the state. In the era of disinformation and false narratives, information from these two sources may be radically contradictory. This increases the risk that citizens physically disconnected from the country may make uninformed choices.

Accordingly, establishing the rule of voting on Georgian territory increases the resilience of elections, reduces the influence of external actors, and ensures a more adequate and informed choice. This model fully complies with international standards and is implemented in countries such as Ireland, Malta, Israel, and Armenia.

Let me emphasize once again, nothing changes regarding the electoral rights of citizens abroad. As before, every Georgian citizen will have full rights and the opportunity to vote in elections. The only requirement is that once every four years, they come to the homeland and vote in Georgia,” Papuashvili said.