Speaker Papuashvili: we are confident Constitutional Court will ban four opposition parties

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said he was confident the Constitutional Court would be persuaded by the government’s arguments and ban four opposition parties targeted in a constitutional lawsuit.

“The parties named in this lawsuit are unconstitutional. We are confident that we will be able to convince the Constitutional Court of the validity of these arguments,” Papuashvili said.

He added the court had nine months to examine the case and prepare for its consideration.

“The Constitutional Court has its own deadlines for reviewing such cases. We expect the court to schedule the relevant proceedings within those time limits. This is a precedent-setting case, and it is understandable that the court needs time to examine the lawsuit and prepare,” Papuashvili said.

The case concerns the constitutionality of the activities of the United National Movement (UNM), Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia-Lelo and the Federalist Party, and seeks their prohibition. 

Papuashvili defended the possibility of banning political parties by referring to Germany’s debate over a possible ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

“What doubt can there be about the substance of the lawsuit and whether these parties are unconstitutional? The German government has said that it should turn to the Constitutional Court to ban the AfD,” Papuashvili said.

He argued that a political party could be banned even if it had never been in government, saying that in Georgia’s case the parties targeted by the lawsuit had previously held power.

“In our case, we are talking about parties that were in government. These people created a system of torture in the country, abandoned territories without a fight and established a system of racketeering,” Papuashvili said.

He also referred to former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and opposition politician Nika Gvaramia, describing them as figures associated with the same political forces.

Papuashvili further cited restrictions on political parties in Ukraine and Moldova, arguing that criticism from Brussels over the Georgian case was misplaced.

“When we hear criticism, including from Brussels, asking how a political party can be banned, it can very well be banned. If a party is unconstitutional, it has no place in the political space. Our Constitution provides for this as well,” Papuashvili said.

Georgia’s Constitution states that the establishment and activity of a political party seeking to overthrow or forcibly change the constitutional order, undermine the country’s independence or territorial integrity, or promote war or violence is inadmissible. It also provides that a political party may be prohibited only by a decision of the Constitutional Court.

The ruling Georgian Dream withdrew its original constitutional complaint in April 2026 and filed a revised case adding the Federalist Party to the three opposition parties named in the initial lawsuit. Critics have argued that the move effectively restarted the nine-month deadline for the court to issue a decision