PM Kobakhidze: even one-day visit to Georgia is important for making informed electoral choice

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday responded to opposition criticism over recent electoral legislation changes, saying that ensuring equal voting conditions for all citizens - regardless of where they reside - is essential.

“Everyone should have equal conditions. It is very important to make an informed choice, and for that, it is important to visit the country, even for one day, to see with your own eyes what is happening and make a decision based on that”, he said.

Kobakhidze noted that roughly half of Georgia’s emigrants live in Russia, where no Georgian polling stations have been opened since 2008. He questioned why critics had never expressed concern over the fact that these citizens had long been unable to vote from abroad.

“Do you recall anyone raising concerns that half of our emigrants were deprived of their right to vote? This also violated the principle of equality, yet opponents never mentioned it”, he said.

The Prime Minister noted political reactions to the new voting rules are “entirely subjective” and not based on real arguments.

He highlighted the importance of ensuring equal conditions for all Georgian citizens living abroad and said that making an informed electoral decision requires direct observation of the situation in the country.