“If citizens living abroad come to their country once every four years and fulfill their constitutional duty, this will be exactly what produces real results after the elections,” said Gia Volski, First Vice-Speaker of Parliament, speaking to journalists about the new Electoral Code, which stipulates that, similar to local self-government elections, citizens living abroad will only be able to vote in parliamentary elections within the territory of Georgia.

He emphasized that Georgian citizens should not be under the influence of a political environment formed abroad, which is often shaped by specific political interests.

As Volski explained, it is easier to influence the will of a person living abroad using technological resources than those living in Georgia, who see both the good and the bad firsthand.

“The results of elections abroad do not show a large advantage for the opposition. The number of citizens abroad is not sufficient to change election results. There is constant speculation about this topic — whether everyone will have the opportunity to vote, whether the polling districts and stations are sufficient, etc. Moreover, recent developments have shown that the capacity to influence political will has increased not only abroad but also inside Georgia. This influence is not limited to those living in Europe or the U.S.; it extends to citizens in the south, north, west, and east, who are under significant local governance influence. If this governance intends, the vulnerability of these citizens is even higher. If they come to their country once every four years and fulfill their constitutional duty, that will produce tangible election results.

People also talk about communities living abroad illegally — we are considering that within three years, Georgia will have a strong economic situation so that people will not have to seek meager incomes abroad through illegal means. This is a complex issue, but the main point remains: Georgian citizens should not be under the influence of a political environment abroad, often formed with specific political objectives.

The will of a person abroad, in specific circumstances, can be influenced more easily through technological resources — which we expect to become even more intensive in the next three years — than those living here, who see both good and bad directly, without confusing black for white or white for black,” Volski stated.

As a reminder, “Georgian Dream” is working on a new Electoral Code. According to a briefing held today by Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, the code will be fully revised, and under one of the changes, similar to local self-government elections, citizens will only be able to vote in parliamentary elections within Georgia’s state borders.