“I have déjà vu! - It feels like the last days of the ‘National Movement’ government - just as Mikheil Saakashvili wore the Constitution and laws like a suit, you are doing the same! You might as well write directly in the Election Code that only those who support ‘Georgian Dream’ have the right to observe elections,” said Sophia Khorguani, MP from the “For Georgia” faction, during a plenary session of Parliament while discussing planned changes to election legislation, according to which an international observation mission can only be represented by citizens of foreign countries.

In Khorguani’s opinion, with these changes “Georgian Dream” is directly saying that it does not trust the citizens of Georgia.

“There are so many donors of the ‘National Movement’ sitting in this Parliament that I’m not surprised. Apparently, back then you weren’t bothered by the regime that existed at the time either. You say that for an objective picture it is better if international observers are citizens of foreign countries and not citizens of Georgia. Why do you think a German, Polish, or Estonian observer will be more objective than a Georgian observer? Or how do you determine their political taste? - With a persistent stare?! And you talk about sovereignty and say: let our head be our own - yet you directly say that you do not trust a citizen of Georgia and the objectivity of a citizen of Georgia,” Sophia Khorguani stated during the plenary session of Parliament.

Parliament reviewed and supported in the first reading a draft according to which an international observer can only be a citizen of a foreign country - from the age of 18.

The draft amendments to the Election Code were introduced by “Georgian Dream” MP Davit Matikashvili. As Matikashvili explained, absolutely objective information must be provided to the international observation organization that decides to observe elections in Georgia.

According to him, a person’s political taste should not lead to the provision of incorrect information to an international observation mission.

“The draft is initiated so that we remove the element of subjectivity from international observation missions and their representatives - something we have unfortunately seen repeatedly in practice. There should no longer be talk that a specific hired person compiled a conclusion related to the elections based on their own political taste and sent it to the international observation mission, which then used this conclusion to make decisions. There were made-up reasons related to legitimacy…

It must be maximally ensured that the international observation mission receives conclusions drawn up by a politically neutral person,” Davit Matikashvili stated.