Opposition rally numbers reflect foreign funding restrictions, ruling party MP

Georgia’s ruling party has attributed the “relatively low turnout” at an opposition rally in Tbilisi on Sunday to legislation restricting foreign funding, as the Constitutional Court prepares to hear a case seeking to ban several opposition parties.

Archil Gorduladze, chairman of parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, commented on Sunday’s rally, held under the slogan “Georgia without Ivanishvili”, arguing that recent legislative changes had reduced the flow of “illicit money from abroad.”

Gorduladze said transparency legislation had made it harder for political parties to use foreign funding to organise demonstrations, some of which he alleged had turned violent in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He also claimed that efforts to encourage extremism with external support were becoming less effective.

“The Georgian public understands very well who the individuals united in this collective United National Movement’ are, Gorduladze said.

He also defended the legal action seeking to ban several opposition parties, arguing that political considerations should not prevent the state from pursuing its constitutional duty.

Gorduladze said the opposition parties were acting against the constitutional order and the principles of a democratic state. He maintained that lawmakers and other relevant parties were not merely entitled, but obliged, to petition the Constitutional Court to ban political organisations they considered unconstitutional.

He compared the case with the prohibition of Nazi and fascist parties in Germany and Italy, arguing that such bans did not necessarily remove voters’ right to choose among political alternatives.

The Constitutional Court was due to announce its decisions on procedural motions before hearing a presentation from the claimant. Gorduladze said the submission would set out in detail the alleged unconstitutional actions attributed to each party.

He argued that the parties, despite operating under different names and electoral numbers, shared common objectives and had engaged in actions he described as undemocratic and contrary to the national interest. He also criticised parties that, in his view, had failed to distance themselves from such conduct and had instead entered into political coalitions.

Gorduladze cited previous opposition gatherings outside the court, claiming that an initial demonstration attracted around 30 people, while a subsequent march involving several opposition groups drew several hundred participants.

He said the public had grown tired of “foreign-backed political actors” seeking to establish external control over Georgia.