Georgian ruling party lawmakers reject OSCE call to withdraw suit seeking opposition party bans

The Georgian ruling party figures have defended a Constitutional Court case seeking to ban several opposition parties, rejecting calls by Gudrun Kugler, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, for the government to withdraw the lawsuit.

Giorgi Kakhiani, Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, described the proceedings as a normal constitutional process, arguing that similar cases have taken place in other countries and that relevant European Court of Human Rights judgments exist.

“Although Georgia has not previously had such proceedings to declare a political party unconstitutional, similar practices exist in a number of countries,” Kakhiani said.

He added that the hearings were public and argued that transparency would help ensure impartiality. He said there should be no questions about a process conducted in accordance with the Georgian Constitution.

Thornike Cheishvili, a member of the ruling parliamentary majority, also criticised Kugler’s remarks, describing them as an attempt by foreign actors to interfere in Georgia’s judicial proceedings.

Cheishvili said the opposition’s statements about the case were unfounded and taken out of context. He maintained that the MPs who filed the lawsuit were exercising their constitutional right to ask the Constitutional Court to determine whether the activities of the opposition parties complied with the Constitution.

He described the criticism as “absurd” and argued that it amounted to questioning the plaintiffs’ right to seek a constitutional ruling.

Cheishvili further claimed that foreign representatives had previously sought to influence high-profile court proceedings in Georgia, adding that public comments about the current case represented another attempt to interfere in the country’s domestic justice system.

The lawsuit, filed by 88 Georgian Dream MPs, seeks to have five opposition parties declared unconstitutional and banned. The case has drawn criticism from opposition groups and international representatives, raising concerns about political pluralism and the potential implications for Georgia’s democratic process.