Speaker Papuashvili: Constitution states that if political party is unconstitutional, it should not exist

“We have never made, nor will we ever make, any decision to ban parties; our position is that specific parties are unconstitutional,” stated the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili.

According to him, the Constitution of Georgia dictates that if political parties are unconstitutional, they should not exist.

“We have appealed to the Constitutional Court to adjudicate. This was also our pre-election promise. 1.12 million people gave us a mandate to appeal to the Constitutional Court. Behind this constitutional lawsuit stands not Georgian Dream, but 1.12 million citizens. If the Constitutional Court rules that a party is unconstitutional, should such a party exist? Is this just someone’s opinion? The Constitution explicitly states that if a party is unconstitutional, its existence goes against the Constitution. Surely it is inappropriate for a fascist and violent party to exist?” Papuashvili said.