Speaker: Constitution comes to life when citizens see it as guarantee of their rights, while government recognizes limits it establishes

“Congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court of Georgia. Just three decades separate us from the time when a state weakened by civil strife, wars and a devastated economy began to recover and take its first steps,” Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said.

He made the remarks at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court of Georgia.

Papuashvili noted that, 30 years on, the Constitutional Court can be considered an integral part of the country’s institutional system.

“One of these fundamental steps was the establishment of the Constitutional Court – an institution that safeguards the country’s constitutional order, interprets it and delivers the final verdict on constitutional matters. The fundamental significance of a constitution lies in the fact that the state places limits on its own power: it determines how authority is distributed, where the powers of each institution end, and what sphere of human freedom the state cannot encroach upon.

That is why the strength of the Constitutional Court lies not only in its formal status but also in its function – ensuring a balance between the effective operation of the state and the limitations established by the Constitution. This is particularly important for countries that have had to establish and strengthen modern state institutions within a relatively short historical period. In such circumstances, constitutional order cannot be established through written provisions alone. It requires institutions that give those provisions substance, as well as a political culture that recognizes them as binding rules for everyone.

Protecting constitutional order means that the state abides by the fundamental rules it has itself established. It means that power is acquired, exercised and transferred through procedures prescribed by law, and that those with differing political views compete for public support within the lawful and democratic framework. A violation of this order is not merely a disagreement between institutions; it threatens the continuity of the state, citizens’ rights, public peace and the trust on which democracy rests.

“Over the past 30 years, the Constitutional Court has repeatedly faced issues where law, politics and state interests have been closely intertwined. In such circumstances, the Court has a particular responsibility to ensure that the gravity of a dispute does not shift into the political sphere and that the Constitution remains the sole ultimate standard. This is both the difficulty and the importance of constitutional justice: when political confrontation intensifies, the Constitution must serve as the same standard for everyone.

Thirty years on, we can say that the Constitutional Court of Georgia has become an integral part of the country’s institutional system. Over these three decades, the political environment, legislation, state institutions and public expectations have changed, but the main task has remained the same – protecting the Constitution not merely as a text, but as an effective norm, a rule and a matter of common sense,” Papuashvili said.

He noted that the Constitution comes to life when citizens see it as a guarantee of their rights and freedoms, while the government recognizes the limits it establishes.

“This will remain an important responsibility of the Constitutional Court in the future, because the authority of the Constitution ultimately depends on the extent to which the state can refrain from exercising its own power wherever the Constitution requires it to do so. That is precisely why a strong Constitutional Court is part of a strong state.

It is this Court that must establish the boundaries that neither the state, nor any political party, nor any other entity can cross – including those that have repeatedly attempted to undermine the country’s constitutional order throughout our recent history.

Congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the Constitutional Court. I thank all the judges and employees who have contributed to the establishment and development of this institution. I wish you professional strength and success in serving the Constitution of our country,” Papuashvili said.