On March 29, President Salome Zourabichvili of Georgia criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for failing to facilitate the voting rights of many Georgian expatriates. She voiced her concerns at the outset of a meeting with the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), representatives from the Public Defender's Office, civil society organizations, and the EU Delegation to Georgia.

Zourabichvili highlighted her efforts to engage with the Georgian diaspora through online meetings to encourage voting participation. She expressed disappointment in the Foreign Ministry's refusal to participate in these meetings and attributed the ministry with the responsibility for facilitating expatriate voting.

The president stressed the importance of collaboration between the CEC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticizing the current blame-shifting between them as unproductive.

Zourabichvili also urged the Foreign Ministry to initiate the registration campaign, emphasizing the urgency of the matter. She noted the readiness of Georgia's partner countries' ambassadors to provide support. However, she expressed concern over the ministry's lack of communication to advance this issue.

Regarding resource availability, the president highlighted the legal obligation to ensure expatriates' voting rights without discrimination and suggested multiple solutions to address the challenges.

Response from Georgian Prime Minister

In response to the meeting organized by President Salome Zourabichvili to discuss the maximum involvement of the diaspora in the elections, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused Zourabichvili of attempting to sabotage the elections. He stated that Zourabichvili lacks the moral authority to meet with the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Giorgi Kalandarishvili, or to discuss election matters.

Kobakhidze argued that Zourabichvili's support for Kalandarishvili's candidacy for the CEC chairmanship was undermined by the lack of support from other political figures, leading to his exclusion as a candidate. He criticized Zourabichvili's involvement in the election process, alleging that her goal was to create problems and threats to the elections. He dismissed her efforts as a speculative campaign by the opposition party, the "National Movement."

Regarding Kalandarishvili's potential candidacy for CEC chairman, Kobakhidze emphasized that a competition must be announced first, followed by a decision from the parliament's chairman and the parliament itself. He noted that despite Zourabichvili's meeting with Kalandarishvili, the parliament has not approved his candidacy. Kobakhidze defended Kalandarishvili's track record, highlighting the successful conduct of national elections in 2021 and subsequent by-elections with minimal criticism.