According to Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili, the 2024 elections exposed how representatives of the Georgian diaspora were “used against each other,” with lists being compiled abroad to influence, intimidate, or even threaten Georgian citizens living overseas.

“In 2024, we saw how diaspora representatives were used — Georgians against Georgians — how lists were drawn up. To protect our emigrants from this pressure, a decision has been made that gives them the opportunity to come to their homeland once every four years and vote,” the Speaker said.

Papuashvili emphasized that foreign interference in Georgian elections is already an established fact and is likely to intensify in the future. He claimed that in 2024, even some ambassadors serving in Georgia, as well as foreign politicians, ministers, and members of parliament, were “directly involved” in agitation and protest actions in Georgia.

“One example is how the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Parliament was involved in agitation and pressure on voters, organizing voter activity in Germany. We saw how the diaspora was used, how lists of Georgians were compiled abroad to later be submitted to state agencies, creating fear of deportation if people did not vote as instructed,” he said.

He said the Georgian government is acting to prevent “harmful foreign influence” and to protect Georgian citizens living abroad, who, according to him, faced hostility in 2024 for not aligning with the positions of certain foreign leaders.