Georgian Parliament official: opposition parties important, but radical groups must be removed through constitutional means

Opposition parties are important for a healthy democratic process, but the argument presented before the Constitutional Court is that the groups in question are not political parties, but unconstitutional organisations and radical groups, Levan Makhashvili, chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Imedi TV, Makhashvili responded to what he described as demagoguery by the Gakharia-led party, noting that its representatives were appearing before the Constitutional Court and had clearly heard the allegations brought against the party by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“If they [members of parliament] have no communication with their own representatives at the Constitutional Court, that is another serious problem. They are acting as though they do not know what the allegations are about”, he said.

Makhashvili was asked what political reality a potential ban on opposition parties would create in the country and whether such a move would help bring an end to political polarisation.

“As for the continued existence of the opposition, I would not put it so categorically. The Georgian Parliament will certainly be left without the radical opposition, but the opposition is represented in Parliament, and ordinary discussions will continue in this regard”, he said.

“Opposition parties are important for a healthy democratic process, but our argument before the Constitutional Court is precisely that we are not dealing with political parties, but with unconstitutional organisations and, in their own right, radical groups”, Makhashvili continued.

He added that political parties should engage in debate and participate in elections rather than resort to arson, boycotts and other destructive actions, which he said the public had witnessed live on television.

“Political polarisation in Georgia has reached such extreme levels precisely because we have to politically compete with radical groups of this kind”, he said.

“I agree with the Prime Minister that the United National Movement is our most comfortable opponent, as there is no election in which we cannot defeat them. However, we are prepared to accept electoral losses of our own to ensure that these forces are removed from the political arena through constitutional means, thereby giving others the opportunity to enter the political system”, he concluded.