Ana Tsitlidze: The state should not interfere in the banning of political parties; that is for the citizens to decide; I believe Georgian Dream deserves to be banned for many reasons, but even if I had the power to do so, I would never ban it

The state should not interfere in the banning of political parties; that is for the citizens to decide; I believe Georgian Dream deserves to be banned for many reasons, but even if I had the power to do so, I would never ban it, - Ana Tsitlidze, a representative of the National Movement, stated during a session of the Constitutional Court.

Furthermore, she responded to a question from Constitutional Court Judge Vasil Roinishvili regarding how they distinguish between the ruling political force and the state itself. Tsitlidze noted that it is not appropriate to ban a political party based on decisions made by the state, pointing out that "between 2003 and 2012, not a single minister was a party member."

"The banning of a political party should, in fact, be based on its own objectives and actions. When we raised the question—given that Georgian Dream was challenging us in their lawsuit regarding the 2003–2012 period—we naturally asked: what exactly are they holding us responsible for? Even after their responses yesterday, we still couldn't figure it out. If they are challenging specific decisions made by individual state officials, what does that have to do with banning the National Movement as a party today?

Between 2003 and 2012, how many ministers, deputy ministers, and other officials served under the government of that time? And how many of them were party members? I can tell you that the majority were not. You yourself, Mr. Vasil [Vasil Roinishvili, a judge of the Constitutional Court], served as a Deputy Prosecutor—were you a party member? Since 2012, the National Movement—including Mikheil Saakashvili—has made numerous statements, among other things, regarding what the National Movement's mistakes were. [...] As for party affiliation, not a single minister between 2003 and 2012 was a member of a political party.

The discussion here concerned political responsibility—specifically, what political responsibility the National Movement assumed. When the National Movement lost the elections in 2012, it stepped down, accepting political responsibility in a calm manner.

The state should not interfere in the banning of political parties; that is for the citizens to decide; I believe Georgian Dream deserves to be banned for many reasons, but even if I had the power to do so, I would never ban it. The citizens of Georgia must respond to them specifically through the electoral process," stated Ana Tsitlidze.

When asked by Tsitlidze whether Vasil Roinishvili held party affiliation while serving as Deputy Prosecutor during the National Movement's time in power, he replied, "No." "I have never been a member of any party," noted Roinishvili.