The Georgian Parliament approved a ban on voting in elections from abroad.

The Georgian Parliament supported the first reading of a new version of the Electoral Code, which stipulates that polling stations for emigrants will no longer be open for municipal and parliamentary elections.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in mid-November, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated that Georgian citizens living in other countries would only be able to vote if they returned to their home country and showed up at the polling station at their registered address. Opposition members called this decision an "attempt to cancel the elections," citing the large number of emigrants from Georgia.

The Georgian legislature today adopted the new version of the Electoral Code of Georgia and the resulting legislative amendments in the first reading by a vote of 76 to 9, Interpressnews reported today.

One of the main innovations of the new Electoral Code is that polling stations will no longer be open to emigrants living abroad during parliamentary elections, and, like municipal elections, parliamentary elections will be held only in Georgia. The bill also bans audio surveillance during photo and video recording at polling stations, the publication reports.

According to the rapporteur, Chairman of the Procedural Issues Committee David Matikashvili, the purpose of the change is to encourage emigrants to come to Georgia on election day, Channel One reports.

"The purpose of this clause is precisely to encourage emigrants to come to their homeland en masse on election day and share the responsibility associated with the country's sovereignty, its governance for the next four years, and the formation of government bodies," said David Matikashvili.

"Caucasian Knot" also wrote that the previous controversial bill, on toughening penalties for violations at protests, including blocking roads, was rejected by the Georgian Parliament. href="https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416378">adopted on an expedited basis two days after the attempted storming of the presidential palace. On October 4, the day of municipal elections, thousands of people gathered in the center of Tbilisi. After opera singer Paata Burchaladze declared that power in Georgia belongs to the people, clashes between protesters and security forces began near the presidential palace. Security forces used riot gear, protesters used firecrackers. Six demonstrators and 21 security forces were hospitalized, another 30 people received medical assistance on the spot. Police opened a criminal case in connection with calls for the overthrow of the government, the attack on police officers, and the storming of the palace. The Caucasian Knot is publishing materials about the recent municipal elections and protests by opposition supporters on the thematic page "Georgia: Elections Amid Protests".

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over the course of the protests, more than a thousand people were subjected to administrative prosecution. The Caucasian Knot has prepared a report "Key Points on the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".