UNM opposition accuses ruling party of seeking to eliminate political competition

Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party is seeking to ban its political rivals to eliminate competition and avoid the risk of losing elections, United National Movement (UNM) leader Anna Tsitlidze has alleged.

Tsitlidze on Tuesday said the lawsuit seeking to ban five opposition parties was intended to leave the ruling party without competitors, even under “one-party dictatorship”.

“The goal is to remain on the playing field without competitors, so they do not have to worry about losing elections even under this one-party dictatorship,” Tsitlidze said.

She also claimed that Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili had sought to abolish the UNM from the outset of his political career.

Ivanishvili came to power in 2012 at the head of a coalition bringing together several political parties, Tsitlidze said. She cited his previous statements about defeating the UNM, including remarks that the party would be forced to concede defeat if it did not do so voluntarily.

Tsitlidze argued that political parties’ efforts to defeat their opponents through elections should not be treated as attempts to overthrow the state, describing political competition as a constitutional right.

The Constitutional Court is considering a lawsuit seeking to declare five opposition parties unconstitutional and ban them. Georgian Dream has argued that the parties pose a threat to the country’s constitutional order, while opposition figures have denounced the case as politically motivated.