"Georgian Dream" alters history: Questions for citizenship exam changed
Citizenship exam questions changed in Georgia
Questions regarding Eduard Shevardnadze, Mikheil Saakashvili, the “Rose Revolution,” and the occupation of Georgia have been excluded from the history exam taken by applicants for Georgian citizenship.
Henceforth, examinees will no longer have to answer questions such as:
- Who was the second president of Georgia?
- In which year did the “Rose Revolution” occur in Georgia?
- Who was the third president of Georgia?
- Who became the head of the government of Georgia after the “Rose Revolution”?
In Georgia, there are several thousand people who were born and raised in the country but do not have Georgian citizenship. These are mainly individuals who left to live or work in another country, predominantly Russia, at various times.
To obtain Georgian citizenship, they must gather a set of documents, apply to the Ministry of Justice, and then undergo several procedures, including three exams: in the Georgian language, the fundamentals of law, and Georgian history.
The question about the occupation of Georgia has also been removed. In the old version of the history tests, this question was worded as follows:
Question No. 199: Which state currently occupies 20 percent of Georgia’s territory?
a) Israel;
b) China;
c) Japan;
d) Russia;
(Correct answer: Russia)
The questions about Georgia’s strategic partners have also been removed:
Question No. 200: Which of these countries is a strategic partner of Georgia?
a) USA;
b) South Korea;
c) South Africa;
d) Brazil;
(Correct answer: USA)
Instead, the new version of the tests includes a question about the Association Agreement between Georgia and the EU, signed during the tenure of the current ruling party, “Georgian Dream.”
However, the total number of questions in the new version of the test has not changed significantly. In the old version, there were 202 questions, and in the new one, there are 200. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice cannot justify these changes by reducing the test volume. However, neither the Ministry of Justice nor any other government agency has provided any explanations regarding these changes.
What else changed in the rules for obtaining Georgian citizenship
On November 1, 2023, the Georgian Parliament adopted amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia “On Georgian Citizenship.” The new rules came into force on May 1, 2024.
These amendments include:
The required period of continuous residence in Georgia has been reduced.
Previously, applicants for citizenship had to reside continuously in Georgia for 10 years. Now, this period has been reduced to 5 years.
According to the Ministry of Justice’s explanatory note, until 2018, this period was also five years, after which it was extended to 10 years, which created difficulties for many people.
The procedure for obtaining citizenship has changed.
One of the requirements for obtaining Georgian citizenship is passing three exams: in the Georgian language, the fundamentals of law, and the country’s history. Often, these exams posed a barrier to citizenship, especially for non-ethnic Georgians, as the tests were quite challenging.
From now on, a person wishing to obtain Georgian citizenship will take the exam before submitting the application so that, in case of an unsatisfactory result, they do not waste time and resources on other procedures.
The period for reapplying has been shortened.
There are two forms of citizenship provision: by birth and by naturalization.
Granting citizenship by naturalization means that the state grants citizenship to a foreigner or stateless person. In such a case, the individual must apply to the state with this request. Previously, in case of refusal, the applicant could reapply only after a year. Now, this period has been reduced to six months.
Citizenship exam questions changed in Georgia
