Opposition leaders accuse Georgia’s Constitutional Court of political bias after latest appointments

Opposition figures have accused Georgia’s Constitutional Court of lacking independence following the appointment of two new judges.

The Supreme Court’s Plenum appointed Sergo Metopishvili as a Constitutional Court judge on 22 September, according to the Supreme Court. The appointment filled one of the three seats allocated to the Supreme Court under Article 60 of Georgia’s Constitution.

On the same day, President Mikheil Kavelashvili appointed Goga Kikilashvili to the Constitutional Court. He will replace Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze, whose 10-year term expires on 2 October.

The Constitutional Court consists of nine judges serving 10-year terms, with three appointed by the president, three elected by Parliament and three appointed by the Supreme Court.

Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, described Metopishvili as one of the most controversial figures within what he called the judicial “clan”. He said the latest appointment meant that, in his view, all nine Constitutional Court judges were politically aligned and argued that this would remove the possibility of dissenting opinions.

Gvaramia also linked the composition of the court to pending cases concerning the possible banning of political parties, alleging that the governing Georgian Dream had delayed proceedings until the court's composition changed.

United National Movement leader Anna Tsitlidze likewise alleged that decisions concerning the possible banning of political parties were ultimately made by Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, rather than by the Constitutional Court itself. She accused the ruling party of using nepotism to consolidate power in state institutions, including the judiciary.