A draft of constitutional amendment, which will allow a billionaire opposition politician, Bidzina Ivanishvili, to run in October parliamentary election without becoming a Georgian citizen, was tabled on May 7.

According to the draft amendment, proposed after French citizen Bidzina Ivanishvili was refused in Georgian citizenship through naturalization, a Georgian-born EU citizen, who has lived at least ten years in Georgia, will have the right to be elected and to vote in the parliamentary elections, as well as in presidential election in late 2013. 

“Along with other Georgian citizens [with voting age], persons, who were born in Georgia, have lived in Georgia for 10 years, have permanently resided in Georgia for the last three years and have a citizenship of the EU member state, can exercise active and passive voting rights [rights to vote and to be elected],” the draft amendment reads.

It also says that this rule will be in force before January 1, 2015.

In another planned amendment, which was offered before Ivanishvili-related changes to the constitution, the minimum age for becoming an MP will be reduced from current 25 to 21.