Georgian Prime Minister vows to defend national interests “to the very end” in Constitutional Court lawsuit

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday said that defending the country’s national interests in the Constitutional Court was a matter of national importance and a necessary step to strengthen the country’s democratic system.

“We will fully defend our country’s national interests in the Constitutional Court. Taking this step is unconditionally important and necessary for strengthening our democratic system - it is a matter of national importance for Georgia”, he stressed.

“This is a matter of national significance for our country. You can see that Georgia and its political system are trapped in a vicious circle. There are criminal groups and foreign agents who do not allow the country to live in peace. These are anti-democratic and unconstitutional forces by nature, who constantly attempt to overthrow or change the constitutional order through violence and refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the government elected by the people”, the PM continued.

Kobakhidze further noted that anti-democratic and unconstitutional forces had continuously sought to overthrow or violently alter the country’s constitutional order, adding that “in such conditions, of course, the democratic system must defend itself, and the Constitution provides the mechanism for this”.

“We will make full use of this mechanism and defend Georgia’s national interests in the Constitutional Court. Once again, I will emphasise that this step is unconditionally important and necessary for the revitalisation of our democratic system. If it were not essential for that purpose, we would not have taken this step. However, it is a crucial condition for establishing a healthy democratic system in Georgia once and for all”, he concluded.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili last week presented the joint constitutional lawsuit prepared by members of the Georgian Dream party faction and political groups People’s Power and European Socialists, requesting the recognition of the activities of several political parties as unconstitutional and their ban.