“The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party will support the initiative of the European Socialists party that allows the use of non-electronic ID cards in the 2024 parliamentary elections. However, an article should be added that all old ID cards issued before 2011 be declared null and void,” said GD Chair Irakli Kobakhidze.

The GD Chair stressed that old ID card-holders should be allowed to vote but said their number would not exceed 500 or 1000.

“The acting legislation does not give people with non-electronic ID cards the right to vote at all. There are citizens who legitimately have non-electronic ID cards. This initiative also gives the right to vote to people with non-electronic IDs. Whatever it is, we will support this initiative,” he said.

Irakli Kobakhidze remarked that the opposition’s “anxiety” was related to ID cards issued before 2011 because there are about 200,000 such ID cards across the country.

“These ID cards will lose their validity. We will agree on the date, but tentatively, from March 1, these IDs will be cancelled. Therefore, no one will be able to vote with these ID cards. Therefore, there is no reason to worry,” he said.

Representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) and opposition parties held a closed-door meeting in the office of the Parliament Speaker on Friday to discuss the draft bill approved with the first hearing that allows participation in the 2024 parliamentary elections with old ID cards.