Emigrants have created a petition demanding the full preservation of their right to vote from abroad.

The petition was created after Georgian Dream decided that Georgian citizens would no longer be allowed to participate in elections from abroad.

According to the petition, under the Constitution of Georgia, the source of authority is the people, and this includes Georgian citizens living outside the country.

“We, nearly one million Georgian citizens living abroad, have found ourselves in emigration for various reasons. For the majority, this was a matter of survival—economic hardship and lack of prospects forced us to seek solutions far from our homeland. For some, leaving the country temporarily was an opportunity to receive a better education and improve professional qualifications. Regardless of the reasons for leaving, we, emigrants, are united by one thing: we have never ceased our connection to our country and have never refused to care for its development.

Today, however, this fundamental right is under threat. The Parliament has begun discussing a draft law that would effectively deprive emigrants of the right to vote. Through this, Georgian Dream:

Devalues Georgian citizenship: We remain citizens of our country no matter where in the world we live, and by participating in elections, we confirm that we are an integral part of our homeland. By restricting this right, Georgian Dream cynically tells us that emigrants are second-class citizens.

Treats nearly one million people unjustly: It is the tireless work and financial remittances of emigrants that sustain Georgia’s economy. Sixty percent of the Georgian population has at least one family member or relative living abroad. Emigrant remittances make up more than a tenth of the country’s GDP—twice as much as foreign investments. Meanwhile, parents, children, relatives, neighbors, and friends in Georgia struggle to repay loans; more than 60% of households have debts, and over 40% lack funds for basic needs—medication, food, transportation, or everyday necessities. The government, which boasts about the “economic growth” generated by these remittances, tells us that we should not participate in shaping the country’s political future because we supposedly view domestic processes “incorrectly” and are under someone else’s influence.

Seeks to sever emigrants’ connection to the country: Instead of facilitating emigrants’ integration and return, restricting voting rights pushes us further away from the homeland. Many of us work in vulnerable and precarious conditions where returning to Georgia, even to visit family, entails substantial financial and logistical challenges. Thus, the cynical demand to “come back and vote” is not only unrealistic but also insulting and isolating.

Restricting the right to vote from abroad sends a message that a mother in Italy caring for an elderly relative to provide for her family, a worker on a Polish cold-storage farm, a construction worker in the United States who emigrated illegally to save his family, or a semi-starving student studying abroad to gain knowledge for their country no longer has the right to defend the future of their loved ones or choose a government that will create conditions for their return.

What else is this if not the erosion of the essence of citizenship for emigrants?

We, the citizens of Georgia, demand the full preservation of the right to vote from abroad! This demand is not a political whim it is a matter of justice. Under the Constitution of Georgia, the source of authority is the people and we, Georgian citizens abroad, are part of this people.

Fighting for a better Georgia and participating in it is our constitutional right!”