The changes announced by the government to the Election Code, which would deprive our citizens living abroad of their right to vote, constitute a violation of both the Georgian Constitution and all international norms, Chairman of the "European Democrats" party, Paata Davitaia, has stated.

According to him, any Georgian citizen who is legally residing outside the country and registered at a Georgian consulate is constitutionally entitled to participate in elections, and restricting this right is incompatible with any international standard.

"In a situation where the vast majority of our emigrants live abroad illegally and therefore already lack the opportunity to participate in elections, taking away the right to vote from those citizens who are officially registered at consulates and for whom participation in elections is important is a gross violation of the Constitution and absolutely unacceptable.

I call on the government to halt the introduction of this amendment to the Election Code, as formalising this initiative into law would further damage the country's international image," Davitaia stated.