“There is a real danger that universal suffrage may be abolished, especially given that we also have an uninformed society in Georgia. For example, a survey conducted in 2013 found that only 6% of people believed that the Georgian Dream was the opposition,” said Tamar Chergoleishvili, leader of the Federalists party.

According to her, this situation reflects a troubling erosion of the fundamental right to vote.

“Indeed, it is not shocking in itself, because this is an autocratic regime that has crossed a line, and they have simply created a façade that aligns with their narrative, and this gives us yet another piece of evidence to show our international partners that the regime has effectively abolished the universal right to vote,” she added.

Meanwhile, the rules governing voting for non-resident citizens are set to change. According to the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, the only requirement will be that they cast their vote in their homeland once every four years.