Court victory in opposition ban case will mean ‘victory for Georgia’, parliamentary majority leader

Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party is confident it will win its Constitutional Court case seeking to ban five opposition parties, with parliamentary majority leader Irakli Kirtskhalia describing a favourable ruling as a “victory for Georgia”.

Speaking during a parliamentary plenary session on Tuesday, Kirtskhalia accused the opposition groups, which he referred to collectively as the United National Movement, of serious crimes, attempts to destabilise the state and acting against Georgia’s national interests.

He said opposition parties were trying to portray the case as unclear, despite “evidence” of their alleged wrongdoing.

Kirtskhalia also accused the previous government of establishing a system of torture, murder and racketeering, undermining elections, mishandling territorial conflicts and allowing strategic assets to pass into the hands of Russian business interests. He also alleged that opposition groups had repeatedly attempted to overthrow the government and were working on behalf of foreign interests.

The ruling party leader further accused the opposition of undermining Georgia’s stability and sovereignty and seeking to delay the country’s European integration.

“I believe our lawsuit will prevail in the Constitutional Court, which would directly mean a victory for Georgia,” Kirtskhalia said.

The Constitutional Court is considering a lawsuit seeking to declare five opposition parties unconstitutional and ban them. Georgian Dream argues that the parties threaten the country’s constitutional order, while opposition figures have described the proceedings as a politically motivated attempt to eliminate political competition.