Ruling party MP Gorduladze cites European party bans, questions IRI poll methodology during court hearing

Archil Gorduladze, chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, has cited the banning or suspension of “around 150 political parties across Europe” while defending the legal proceedings seeking to ban five opposition parties in Georgia.

Speaking at a hearing of the Constitutional Court on Thursday, Gorduladze addressed questions surrounding the political groups’ claims of being victims of political persecution, European precedents for banning political parties and the methodology of an opinion poll attributed to the International Republican Institute (IRI).

He said around 150 political parties across Europe had been banned or had their activities suspended in recent years, questioning whether those groups could also be considered victims.

On the IRI survey, Gorduladze questioned its methodology and said its author had not made the relevant information publicly available. He also recalled that representatives of opposition parties had previously questioned whether the survey had even been conducted.

He argued that the current activities and conduct of political parties should be considered alongside their claims about their political standing a

Gorduladze further rejected the suggestion that the lawsuit was driven by political considerations, saying the ruling Georgian Dream party had no electoral interest in removing its political opponents from the political arena.

He pointed to the results of the 2024 parliamentary and 2025 local elections, saying Georgian Dream had received more than 1.12 million votes in each.

“Our objective is not political expediency, but the obligation imposed on us by the Constitution,” Gorduladze said. He added that the party’s aim was to uphold the constitutional order, the rule of law and the foundations of democracy.

The Constitutional Court is considering a lawsuit filed by 88 members of parliament seeking to declare five opposition parties unconstitutional and ban their activities. The parties named in the case are the United National Movement, Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia - Lelo, the Federalists and Gakharia for Georgia.