Georgia’s former President Zourabichvili condemns ruling party’s move to ban major opposition parties

Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, on Tuesday condemned the ruling Georgian Dream party’s initiative to ban key opposition parties, calling it an attempt to turn the country into a “Russian-style authoritarian regime”.

In a statement posted on social media, Zourabichvili said persecuting political opponents “not only destroys multiparty democracy but also divides society and undermines the state”.

“The regime is systematically restricting everything that stands in the way of establishing and solidifying full authoritarianism. Today, a united and clear voice must be heard from Georgia against the banning of opposition parties: this is unacceptable! Persecution of opponents not only dismantles multiparty democracy but destroys the state itself. Solidarity with all opposition forces whose constitutional right to free expression and political participation is being restricted”, she wrote.

Earlier, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili filed a constitutional lawsuit seeking to declare the activities of the United National Movement, Coalition for Change and Lelo - Strong Georgia unconstitutional, calling for their prohibition.

Papuashvili added that other parties - including Droa, Girchi – More Freedom, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, European Georgia, the Federalists and the Republican Party - currently lack significant influence or realistic chances of crossing the electoral threshold, and thus their banning was “not deemed necessary at this stage”.