Georgia’s Constitutional Court opened hearings Oct. 21 on a Georgian Dream-backed bid to ban five opposition parties, four of which won nearly 38% of the 2024 parliamentary vote.
The lawsuit was filed by 88 members of parliament. They allege the parties seek to overthrow or forcibly change Georgia’s constitutional order and threaten its independence and territorial integrity. The MPs ask the court to declare the parties’ activities unconstitutional.
The court’s record names the United National Movement; Coalition for Change – Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, It’s Time; Strong Georgia – Lelo, For the People, For Freedom!; Federalist Party; and Gakharia For Georgia.
Central Election Commission results show that four of the parties received a combined 37.79% of the vote in the 2024 parliamentary election. Parliament’s records show it subsequently terminated the mandates of 49 lawmakers from three political groupings. Gakharia For Georgia is the only party in the lawsuit still represented in parliament, Reuters reported.
The European Commission said in an Oct. 19 briefing that the proceedings and recent legal changes raised concerns about the justice system being used against political opponents. It warned of risks to fundamental freedoms and fair political competition.
Georgian Dream says the case is intended to protect the constitutional order. The lawsuit draws in part on a parliamentary investigation into alleged abuses under the government of former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Ahali-Coalition for Change foreign secretary Giorgi Butikashvili told Reuters that a ban would deny many Georgians a meaningful political choice.
Hearings are scheduled to continue Oct. 22-23, dates noted in earlier EconoTimes coverage of the case. Under Georgia’s nine-month rule, the court must decide the case by June 2027.
