Constitutional Court starts reviewing suit filed by the ruling team seeking the banning of certain political parties

The Constitutional Court has begun reviewing a suit filed by the ruling team seeking the banning of certain political parties. The case is being heard by the Plenum of the Constitutional Court, composed of seven judges.

The petition submitted to the Constitutional Court is signed by 88 members of Parliament. Based on this filing, the Court will address the question of whether the following political entities should be declared unconstitutional: "Unity – National Movement"; "Coalition for Change – Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa"; "Strong Georgia – Lelo, For the People, For Freedom!"; the "Federalist Party"; and the "Gakharia for Georgia Party."

According to the authors of the claim, since 2016, the aforementioned political entities have—practically without interruption—rejected the legitimacy of Georgia’s incumbent government and the ruling political party, in terms of both their domestic and foreign policy. In doing so, they acknowledge that one of the two sides—either they themselves or the ruling party—must inevitably be deemed unconstitutional.

Attached to the constitutional claim is the report of the temporary investigative commission established within the Parliament of the 11th convocation.

One of the arguments cited in favor of banning these political parties is that, over the course of many years—whether within bodies elected through general elections, in the context of ongoing political processes in Georgia, or through the unconstitutional actions described in this claim, these five parties have consistently maintained essentially the same position. They have functioned as a coalition united by a common objective, and they continue to operate in this manner today.