The NGO GYLA (Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association) has initiated strategic litigation aimed at protecting the voting rights of Georgian citizens living in emigration.
The organization is petitioning the Constitutional Court on behalf of Georgian citizens residing in France. It is challenging a new provision of the Election Code that prohibits the opening of polling stations in Georgian embassies and consulates abroad.
According to GYLA’s assessment, this ban contradicts Article 24, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution of Georgia, which guarantees universal suffrage.
The NGO emphasizes that the new provision does not serve any significant, constitutionally legitimate purpose, but instead creates an artificial financial and social barrier in the form of high travel costs, forced absence from work, and other related difficulties, effectively compelling hundreds of thousands of Georgian emigrants to forfeit their right to vote.
The organization draws attention to the income of emigrants abroad, which is often of critical importance both for themselves and their family members.
“According to World Bank data, by 2020, the volume of remittances to Georgia amounted to 13.3% of the gross domestic product, placing the country 17th in the world in terms of dependence on remittances,” the organization’s statement notes.
GYLA points out that the Constitutional Court may restrict the voting rights of Georgian citizens living abroad, but only in cases where the state genuinely lacks the resources to open polling stations in all cities.
The non-governmental organization notes that “Georgian Dream” (the ruling party) justifies the new provision by the need to prevent foreign interference in Georgian elections.
The NGO noted that, from the perspective of protecting voting rights, the Constitutional Court remains the primary domestic mechanism through which citizens can defend their constitutional rights. However, it also emphasized that in recent years, there have been instances of delays in considering cases of great legal, social, and political significance, which has “seriously undermined the effectiveness of the Constitutional Court as a mechanism for human rights protection.”
“GYLA is not limited to this lawsuit and also plans to continue strategic litigation regarding the issue of universal suffrage on behalf of another group of emigrants in the near future,” the organization’s statement reads.
In December 2025, Parliament adopted a new Election Code that banned emigrants from voting abroad—they will now need to travel to Georgia and visit polling stations in their homeland to do so.
According to Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, there are specific risks of influence on non-resident citizens who are under the influence of foreign jurisdiction and political environments where the state cannot prevent interference.
He stated that nothing is changing regarding the voting rights of Georgian citizens abroad: “The only condition is to come home once every four years and vote in Georgia.”
