The Georgian opposition party United National Movement has announced the initiation of constitutional proceedings against the ruling Georgian Dream. According to UNM leader Levan Bezhashvili, the constitutional lawsuits will be filed in several stages, the first of which will be an appeal against the findings of the temporary parliamentary investigative commission headed by Tsulukiani.
According to Bezhashvili, this process will be crucial in the subsequent legal proceedings at the European Court of Human Rights. The opposition leader noted that the party is taking this step "at the request and demand of our international partners and the legal community."
"The United National Movement is initiating constitutional proceedings against Georgian Dream." Having seized power and rigged the elections, the illegitimate Georgian Dream parliament passed legislation that persecutes anyone who holds a different opinion—from ordinary protesters and civil activists to civil society organizations and television channels—and now the time has come to abolish the parties.
Therefore, despite the fact that we have no hope in the Georgian Dream Constitutional Court, which has been captured and has been fulfilling only political tasks in recent years, at the request and demand of our international partners and the legal community, we are initiating constitutional proceedings, because this process will be decisive in the subsequent legal proceedings at the European Court in Strasbourg," Bezhashvili emphasized.
As a reminder, the temporary investigative commission was established by Georgian Dream in February of this year. Initially intended to focus only on Mikheil Saakashvili's presidency (2003–2012), its mandate was expanded in March to include investigations into alleged opposition violations up to the present day.
On September 2, a lengthy 473-page report from the temporary investigative commission was submitted to the Georgian Parliament. On September 3, a special resolution approving the document was adopted at a plenary session of the legislature.
The approved report from the investigative commission served as the basis for the ruling party's appeal to the Constitutional Court demanding that three political parties, including the United National Movement, be declared unconstitutional.
If the appeal is upheld, members of these parties will be prohibited from participating in political activity, in accordance with previously adopted legislation. The Georgian Parliament also passed a law allowing for the banning of parties that replicate the ideology of previously banned organizations.
