The non-governmental organization Fair Elections appeals to the Georgian Dream not to support the abolition of the possibility of Georgian citizens to vote outside the country.

Fair Elections is issuing a special statement on the planned changes to the new edition of the Election Code.

According to the organization, considering the geographical mobility of modern society, depriving citizens living outside the country of the opportunity to participate in elections is another step taken against inclusive democracy, which undermines the principle of universality of elections.

ISFED also notes that in the 2024 parliamentary elections, the Georgian Dream received approximately 13% of the total support of voters at polling stations opened abroad, while according to the national results announced by the Central Election Commission, the party had approximately 54% support.

“According to the statement made by Shalva Papuashvili on November 17, the Georgian Dream party plans to abolish the possibility of voting abroad in parliamentary elections by amending the Election Code. Georgian citizens living outside the country have enjoyed this right for many years. Given the geographical mobility of modern society, depriving citizens living outside the country of the opportunity to participate in elections is another step against inclusive democracy, which undermines the principle of universality of elections.

First of all, any significant legislative change requires the involvement of relevant stakeholders and a reasonable timeframe, especially when it comes to restricting the rights of tens of thousands of people. However, in recent years, and especially after the 2024 parliamentary elections, it has become common practice for significant legislative changes to be adopted as a result of a completely exclusive process, without any formal consultations with stakeholders, including specialists in the field. As a rule, such changes are tailored to the narrow party interests of the Georgian Dream. The abolition of the possibility of voting abroad in parliamentary elections also follows this trend.

Traditional definitions of electoral rights do not take into account the mandatory nature of the participation of citizens abroad in elections, however, according to the 2005 resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, electoral rights constitute the basis of democratic legitimacy and the representative nature of the political process, which should develop in line with the progress of modern societies towards inclusive democracy. In the view of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, priority should be given to granting effective, free and equal electoral rights to the largest possible number of citizens, including due attention to the right to vote of citizens living abroad. The Assembly recommends that, given the importance of the right to vote in a democratic society, Council of Europe member states should allow their citizens living abroad to vote in national elections and should take appropriate measures to facilitate the exercise of such right to vote as much as possible.

In addition, the Venice Commission calls on States, taking into account the European mobility of citizens and the specific situation of certain States, to adopt a positive approach to the right to vote for citizens living abroad, as this right contributes to the development of national and European citizenship.

In modern societies, there is a wide range of opportunities for citizens living abroad to exercise active and passive electoral rights, for which States take special measures. According to data from the organization International IDEA, more than 150 countries grant their citizens the opportunity to vote abroad. Among them are almost all member states of the Council of Europe. It is noteworthy that the growing trend of allowing voting abroad continues worldwide, and in addition to personal voting (42% of countries), other forms of voting have been introduced, including postal (20%) and electronic (6%) voting.

Therefore, the abolition of the possibility for Georgian citizens to vote abroad contradicts good international electoral practice and global trends and clearly leaves the impression that this step taken against the principle of universal suffrage is dictated solely by narrow partisan interests.

For information, in the 2024 parliamentary elections, the Georgian Dream received a total of approximately 13% of voters at polling stations opened abroad, while according to the national results announced by the Central Election Commission, this party had approximately 54% support.

We call on the Georgian Dream parliament not to support the abolition of the possibility of Georgian citizens voting abroad and, on the contrary, to facilitate the creation of more opportunities for these individuals to vote,” reads the statement released by ISFED.