"Georgian Dream" Adds Gakharia’s Party to Lawsuit Seeking to Ban Opposition
Georgia’s ruling "Georgian Dream" party has expanded its constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties by adding the political force of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia—"Gakharia – For Georgia"—to the filing. The updated document was submitted to the Constitutional Court on September 21.
The party claims that Gakharia’s political force allegedly "recognizes neither the constitutional order nor the legitimacy of the authorities" and, in the view of the lawsuit's authors, is no different from the other opposition parties whose activities the government also seeks to ban.
Previously, the lawsuit included the "United National Movement," "Coalition for Change," "Strong Georgia – Lelo," and the "Federalists."
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated that the document would be made public and urged people to review the authorities' arguments. He noted that while the maximum timeframe for reviewing such a lawsuit is nine months, the court could issue a ruling sooner.
Gakharia himself had previously described the inclusion of his party in the lawsuit as an attempt to deprive parliament of an opposition voice. He declared that, regardless of the court's decision, his political force would continue the fight to restore democracy and uphold Georgia’s European path.
