Georgian Dream to amend party ban constitutional lawsuit to include Gakharia’s party, seeking verdict by January

“The deadline for the Constitutional Court lawsuit was January, and we will request that the court consider the lawsuit within this timeframe; we will withdraw the claim, supplement it, and resubmit it,” stated MP Tengiz Sharmanashvili, a member of the parliamentary majority.

According to Sharmanashvili, as this is not an election year, a three-month period makes little practical difference.

“Our tactic is well known: parties that have engaged and continue to engage in unconstitutional acts must be removed from political activity so that the path may be cleared for those parties and organisations that were previously prevented from entering the political arena. We will withdraw the lawsuit, expand it, and resubmit it, but we will ask the court not to let the matter drag beyond January. Our objective is to have these parties declared unconstitutional. Whether it happens three months from now or right away, what difference does it make? This is not an election year, nor is the following year. Thus, these one, two, or three months are immaterial. We are indifferent to who remains and who does not; no unconstitutional party should remain in the political space. We shall endeavour to prove that these parties are unconstitutional. We will make our case, and let them present their defence.

When a lawsuit is drafted or when a political party reaches a decision, various opinions may exist. At that initial stage, it was deemed perhaps not worthwhile, and that we should focus, say, on those parties against which we had already filed. Now it has been decided that if we are undertaking the work of clearing the political field of unconstitutional parties, then, regarding those we consider unconstitutional, let us no longer make fine distinctions; let the court review all these matters. The rest depends on the court; this does not mean they will automatically agree with everything,” stated Sharmanashvili.

For context, the ruling Georgian Dream party intends to seek a ban on the opposition party For Georgia, led by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, via a Constitutional Court lawsuit. Georgian Dream has already filed a constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban the activities of the United National Movement, the Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia – Lelo, and the Federalists, and to have them declared unconstitutional.