Georgian Parliament Speaker slams Germany, allies, for “hypocrisy” over plans to ban opposition party

Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, has criticized “political bias” from Germany and Western allies over the proposed ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. He argued the move reflected “hypocrisy” towards the Georgian government’s plans to seek a ban on the United National Movement (UNM), its main opposition party.

In Germany, leading parties, including the Social Democrats and Greens, aim to appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court to prohibit the AfD, citing its threats to democracy. Papuashvili noted the AfD had never held power and suggested that its rhetoric was the only justification for the proposed ban.

He pointed to historical precedents in Europe, where Papuashvili claimed 20 out of 37 democracies had banned political parties for undermining democratic values. He referenced Ukraine and Moldova’s actions against parties threatening their national integrity.

Papuashvili reaffirmed the ruling Georgian Dream party plans to appeal to the Constitutional Court to ban the UNM after the October 2024 elections, emphasizing the UNM’s past governance was marred by allegations of systemic human rights violations. He urged foreign partners to respect Georgia’s judicial independence and trust the Constitutional Court to make an impartial decision regarding the UNM’s future.