Georgian Parliament Speaker says groups rejecting Constitution lose right to democratic participation

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said political groups refusing to recognise the country's constitutional order were effectively forfeiting their right to participate in democratic processes.

When questioned by reporters regarding a new legislative initiative from the ruling Georgian Dream party aimed at addressing the non-recognition of the legitimacy of constitutional bodies, Papuashvili emphasised that respecting the state framework was the “foundation of foundations”.

“Our plan is the plan that any independent state respecting its statehood would follow. Respect for the constitutional order is the foundation of any state. Groups that do not respect this order place themselves outside democracy and, therefore, have no right to claim participation in democratic processes. That is precisely what this is about. It is not about specific groups, individuals, or marginalized people that we see”, the Speaker said.

He linked the refusal to recognise state institutions to external pressure, arguing that attacking the legitimacy of constitutional bodies was a tool used to “undermine Georgia’s constitutional order and abolish the state”.

“This shows that this is not a domestic phenomenon, but a foreign-directed effort aimed at dismantling Georgia’s statehood, pushing us onto a path similar to Moldova’s, where at some point we might be considered small and powerless and might need to rely on someone else to preserve our territory”, he concluded.