Ivanishvili is trying to take away from more than one million Georgian citizens the only thing that, as emigrants, connects them to their own country — no government has ever made or even attempted such a decision, putting Georgian citizens living abroad in such a difficult situation — stated the Secretary General of “Lelo – Strong Georgia,” Irakli Kupradze, during a briefing held at the party office.

According to Kupradze, this decision raises suspicions that Ivanishvili is preparing for new parliamentary elections under worsened legal conditions and in an environment of new propagandistic and violent actions.

“Georgian Dream and Bidzina Ivanishvili are taking yet another treacherous step. Ivanishvili is trying to take away from more than one million Georgian citizens the only thing that connects them to their homeland even while they remain abroad — the right to vote; the opportunity to make decisions about their own country. Ivanishvili is trying to take this away from more than a million citizens, thanks to whom Georgia's economy has been surviving for decades and thanks to whom Georgian citizens have been supported. They feed and sustain citizens and the economy of Georgia for decades, and it is precisely these nearly one million Georgians and Georgian citizens from whom Ivanishvili is now trying to take away their electoral right. The right to vote — one of the most fundamental and important rights. No government has ever made or even attempted such a decision, putting Georgian emigrants in such a difficult situation.”

Kupradze added that over the past 10 years, under Ivanishvili’s rule, hundreds of thousands of Georgian citizens have left the country to escape political persecution, poverty, corruption and injustice created in Georgia by Ivanishvili.

“A question arises — why does Ivanishvili want to change and abolish voting precincts abroad right now, and take away the right to vote from Georgian citizens, when under so-called standard legal conditions, the next parliamentary elections should be held in the autumn of 2028? This raises suspicions that Ivanishvili is preparing for early parliamentary elections after worsening the legal framework, and will try to hold them under new propagandistic and violent conditions, including the banning of parties.”

According to him, it is important to think together and define a joint strategy of resistance against Ivanishvili’s authoritarian rule.

“We say very simply that defeating the citizens of Georgia will be impossible, and the repressive conditions that Ivanishvili is creating against the Georgian people will not work. The Georgian people will definitely win in the end, and none of the repressive laws he is trying to pass will save him. We will continue fighting and resisting Ivanishvili’s Russian regime together with the Georgian people — and especially together with the Georgian emigrants,” Kupradze stated.

For reference, Georgian Dream is starting work on a new Election Code. According to the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, the code will be completely revised, and one of the changes proposes that — just like in local self-government elections — Georgian citizens abroad will be able to vote in parliamentary elections only within the territory of Georgia’s national borders.