Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili stated that the 2024 elections revealed how members of the Georgian diaspora were “used against each other,” with lists allegedly compiled abroad to influence, pressure, 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,” Papuashvili said.

He stressed that foreign interference in Georgia’s elections is already a reality and is likely to grow in the coming years. According to him, some ambassadors stationed in Georgia, along with foreign politicians, ministers, and parliament members, were “directly involved” in agitation and protest activities during the 2024 elections.

Papuashvili cited the chairman of the German Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee as an example, accusing him of participating in voter agitation and pressuring voters in Germany. He claimed that diaspora groups were mobilized and that lists of Georgian citizens abroad were created and later submitted to state agencies, generating fear of deportation for those who did not vote as instructed.

He emphasized that the Georgian government’s recent decisions aim to counter “harmful foreign influence” and safeguard citizens living abroad, whom he says were subjected to hostility in 2024 for not aligning with the positions of certain foreign leaders.