“In a democratic community, the issue of the government’s legitimacy is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution and falls within the freedom of expression,” said Giorgi Siordize, a member of the Lelo-Strong Georgia party.

According to Sioridze, the Georgian Dream attempts to equate its legitimacy with recognition of the constitutional order.

“The Georgian Dream reached a situation where it decided to equate its legitimacy with recognition of the constitutional order. In a democratic community, the issue of the government’s legitimacy, as in the case of elections, is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution and falls within the freedom of expression. This is the right granted by the constitution enjoyed by political parties, politicians and each individual.

When international organizations drafted their reports saying the boundary between the ruling party and the government was erased, the Georgian Dream denied that. Now we hear that they are concerned about legitimacy and they need everything for that. They decided to legalize it through an illegitimate parliament,” Sioridze said.

Responding to a question of a reporter on the argument provided by the GD, based on which changes related to constitutional non-recognition would be based on German legislation, Sioridze noted that this was a lie and mere populism.

“This is a sheer lie. Just as bringing FARA to Georgia was simply a huge act of populism, so is this change. In Germany, there are strict criteria for banning parties. Constitutional order and going against democratic order do not mean what viewpoint an individual has about this or that political force. The Georgian Dream wants to use that argument as in the Soviet Union, whose ideological heirs are the members of the Georgian Dream,” Giorgi Sioridze said.