Georgian Dream moves to end overseas voting for Georgian citizens abroad, speaker says

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said Georgian Dream plans to introduce changes to the Election Code that would end the possibility for Georgian citizens abroad to vote from overseas polling stations in parliamentary elections.

Under the current law, non-resident citizens cannot vote in local elections but are allowed to participate in parliamentary elections through polling stations opened in foreign countries. The planned amendments would align the rules, allowing voting only within Georgia’s state borders.

Papuashvili told reporters that the change did not restrict voting rights, arguing that it set “location and territorial rules” for voting. He said all Georgian citizens would retain full voting rights but would be required to cast their ballots inside Georgia. “The only condition is to come to the homeland once every four years and vote in Georgia,” he said.

He argued that voting inside Georgia increased the resilience of elections, limits the influence of what he called “external actors,” and ensured “a more informed choice.” Papuashvili said similar models existed in Ireland, Malta, Israel and Armenia.

According to him, the 2024 parliamentary elections showed how “open and direct” political and informational pressure from abroad could be, particularly on non-resident citizens.

Papuashvili also said the revised Election Code would include additional structural and technical changes. He noted that the current code, adopted in 2011, has accumulated more than 100 amendments and requires reorganisation and clarification.

During the 2024 parliamentary elections, Georgian citizens abroad requested the opening of additional polling stations. Official data from the Central Election Commission showed that 95,834 voters were registered to vote at overseas precincts. A total of 67 polling stations were opened in 42 countries.

Most overseas precincts were won by opposition parties. According to CEC results, Georgian Dream received 7% of the vote in the United States, 11.5% in the United Kingdom, 5.3% in Germany, 22.2% in Greece, and 10.7% in France. The ruling party performed strongly mainly in neighbouring countries, including Turkey (44%), Azerbaijan (89.5%) and Armenia (59.7%).

The 2024 vote saw long queues at overseas polling stations, with voters in several countries, including the US, waiting hours to cast ballots.