European Parliament Resolution Strongly Condemns Georgia’s Ban on Opposition Parties

The European Parliament strongly condemns attempts to outlaw Georgian opposition parties and demands the immediate withdrawal of the constitutional lawsuit filed against them. This is stated in the draft resolution scheduled for a vote in Strasbourg on October 8.

“A. whereas the situation in Georgia has progressively deteriorated, accompanied by further backsliding in democracy, media freedom, human rights, and the rule of law due to the actions of the ‘Georgian Dream’ authorities, which increasingly diverge from international commitments and Georgia’s own obligations, including the Copenhagen criteria;

B. whereas in November 2025 the Georgian Dream-controlled parliament filed a constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties, including the United National Movement, the Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia – Lelo; whereas a claim against the Federalists was subsequently added to the lawsuit, and in September 2026 the For Georgia party—the sole opposition party still represented in parliament—was included on the list, thereby leading to the elimination of legitimate political opposition;

C. whereas these proceedings are part of a broader Georgian Dream strategy to transform Georgia into a one-party regime by dismantling political pluralism along the lines of the Russian and Belarusian models, aligning with the Kremlin’s objective to keep Georgia outside the European and Euro-Atlantic sphere;

D. whereas in September 2026 new judges were appointed to the Constitutional Court, raising serious concerns regarding their independence within these proceedings;

E. whereas the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation were forced to close their offices in Tbilisi in September 2026 after the authorities rejected their project funding applications under the Law on Grants;

F. whereas numerous journalists covering the government’s crackdowns on the opposition and civil society have been imprisoned;

1. Strongly condemns the attempt to outlaw Georgia’s opposition parties and demands the immediate withdrawal of the constitutional lawsuit against them; stresses that a viable political opposition is an indispensable pillar of democracy and that the elimination of legitimate political opposition through the judiciary is fundamentally incompatible with democracy; notes that banning the sole opposition party represented in the Georgian Parliament dismantles the regime’s previous narrative that its actions targeted only ‘boycotting’ parties;
2. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Elene Khoshtaria, Mzia Amaglobeli, Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Baramidze, and Nika Melia, as well as all individuals detained for participating in peaceful protests; calls for all politically motivated charges of ‘sabotage’ to be dropped;
3. Calls for the repeal of provisions that enable disproportionate restrictions against parties and individuals associated with banned political groups; condemns the weaponisation of legislation and state institutions to silence political opponents; urges an end to the obstruction of European political foundations’ activities;
4. Deplores the persistent lack of action by the EU and a majority of Member States to impose tangible consequences for the continuously worsening situation in Georgia; reiterates its call for targeted sanctions and visa bans on those responsible for democratic backsliding, heavy-handed crackdowns, and political persecution, primarily Bidzina Ivanishvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Shalva Papuashvili, and Kakha Kaladze;
5. Reaffirms its unwavering support for the European aspirations of the Georgian people; reiterates its repeated warnings that any attempt to outlaw reputable political parties alienates Georgia from the EU and precludes any progress along the path toward EU accession;
6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President/High Representative, the Member States, and the self-proclaimed authorities of Georgia.”

A day ahead of the vote, on October 7, the European Parliament scheduled a debate on the situation in Georgia under the title: “Attempts by the ruling Georgian Dream party to ban opposition parties in Georgia.”

As a reminder, Georgian Dream has petitioned the country’s Constitutional Court to declare unconstitutional and outlaw the following opposition forces:

• United National Movement;
• Coalition for Change;
• Strong Georgia – Lelo;
• Federalists;
• Gakharia for Georgia.