PM Kobakhidze: protests must respect law, majority rights, Constitutional claim to strengthen democracy coming soon

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday stressed that while everyone had the right to protest legally, demonstrations “must respect the interests of the majority when participants are insufficient to block streets or disrupt public order.”

“Our legislation, in line with international standards, states that if the number of protesters is not sufficient to block a street, they must respect other members of society and not obstruct traffic. Until now, fines were applied, but they were not fully effective. Therefore, amendments are being introduced to both administrative and criminal law so that a small minority cannot override the rights of the majority - this reflects a core principle of democracy,” Kobakhidze told journalists.

The Prime Minister also accused some political parties of undermining Georgia’s democratic system and said a constitutional claim will soon be submitted to the Constitutional Court to address this issue.

“This claim, which will be finalized in the coming days, is aimed at restoring calm and strengthening our democratic system. Currently, certain political parties act destructively, opposing a healthy democratic system. The constitutional claim represents a legal response to these challenges and will be submitted to the Constitutional Court in the near future,” he added.