Speaker Papuashvili: Georgia’s democracy must defend itself against radical, anti-Constitutional forces

Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has said that the core goal of the ruling party’s constitutional initiative was to ensure a “defensive democracy” - one that protected itself from anti-democratic and extremist forces.

“The goal is very clear. Every country that claims to be a democracy strives to have a resilient democracy - meaning that within a democratic system, there is no room for anti-democratic, democracy-hostile parties. That is the essence of a defensive democracy,” Papuashvili said.

He emphasized that if there was a genuine desire for Georgia’s democracy to develop, space must not be left for radical or anti-constitutional groups.

“This is exactly what the constitutional lawsuit serves - a lawsuit backed by 1,120,000 voters who supported this idea in last year’s elections. A thorough parliamentary investigation followed, lasting several months and resulting in a 450-page report. Based on that report, Parliament adopted a resolution assessing both the period when the United National Movement was in power and, later, the political crimes committed by its allied forces since 2012 - crimes against our Constitution,” Papuashvili stated.

He added that the goal was to safeguard Georgia’s democracy from extremist, anti-constitutional, and radical forces.

“Extremists are extremists. Several political groups, including the United National Movement, have placed themselves beyond the boundaries of democratic opposition by refusing to participate in elections and by planning to overthrow the government on October 4. Therefore, the United National Movement and its allied groups are not opposition parties - they are extremist, anti-constitutional, and radical organizations,” Papuashvili said.

The Speaker explained that the ruling party’s aim was to submit the lawsuit - backed by the mandate of over a million voters - to the Constitutional Court.

“This is our responsibility, grounded in the people’s mandate. The Constitutional Court will then decide who has acted within or against the Constitution. I encourage everyone to read the 450-page report of the parliamentary investigation or recall its proceedings - anyone who followed the commission’s work could clearly see what conclusions it reached and which political groups are being held accountable. As for specific parties and claims included in the lawsuit, they will be made public in the coming days once the case is officially filed with the Constitutional Court,” Papuashvili concluded.