More than 600 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the occupied territories of Georgia, registered in the occupied territories and currently residing abroad will not be included in the unified voter list, as announced during today’s meeting of the Central Election Commission (CEC). The reason for their exclusion is the lack of a factual address on the Georgian-controlled territory.
According to Eka Tsabashvili, a member of the CEC, nearly 200 additional Georgian citizens who are abroad will also be unable to be included in the unified voter list due to having unclear addresses registered in Georgia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided this information to the CEC on September 24, and the numbers may have increased since then.
In an effort to ensure that over 800 Georgian citizens abroad, including 630 displaced persons, do not lose their right to vote, the CEC has decided to allow them to register online at consulates until October 7. By completing this registration process, they will be granted the right to participate in the elections, provided they have the necessary documentation required by law. However, these citizens will still not be included in the unified voter list in Georgia and will only be able to cast their votes outside the country. Consequently, any of these citizens who return to Georgia on the election day will be unable to vote.
The existing obstacles that create barriers to IDPs and persons residing abroad, from participating in the elections, raise questions about the universality and equality of the principles, stipulated under the Article 3 of the Electoral Code of Georgia. The decision of the CEC on online registration is a step forward, however, legislative amendments are necessary for all voters to participate in the elections without obstacles, regardless of their location or status.
