Georgian Parliament Speaker: ruling party files updated bid to ban “unconstitutional” groups, adds Federalists

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papashvili on Monday said the ruling Georgian Dream party is withdrawing its original constitutional lawsuit and replacing it with an updated version aimed at banning political parties deemed “unconstitutional”.

The revised lawsuit expands the list of targeted groups to include the Federalist party, joining three other major opposition entities: the United National Movement (UNM), the Coalition for Change, and Lelo.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the decision to include the Federalists follows a joint declaration signed by the opposition groups on March 2. The speaker alleged that by signing this document, these parties aligned themselves with the “strategic goals” of those who organised attempts to overthrow the government on October 4.

“We will withdraw the previous constitutional lawsuit, which sought the prohibition of unconstitutional parties, and instead file an updated lawsuit. In addition to the three parties previously listed, we are adding the Federalist party”, the speaker said.

Papuashvili framed the current opposition landscape as a re-emergence of the “criminal regime” of the United National Movement. He specifically identified three high-ranking former officials as the orchestrators behind this unified alliance - Mikheil Saakashvili, Giga Bokeria, Nika Gvaramia.

He further argued that while other minor parties are involved in the alliance, the lawsuit focuses on those with “substantial influence on politics” and those whose goals are fundamentally anti-constitutional.

“We assess both the objectives of these parties and the extent of their political influence. Based on this, and considering the March 2 declaration, the Federalist party will be added as the fourth party in the constitutional lawsuit”, Papuashvili concluded.