Nineteen Georgian civil society organizations have issued a joint statement regarding the Constitutional Court’s consideration of a lawsuit filed by the ruling Georgian Dream party seeking to ban five major opposition parties.
According to the NGOs, this step represents a direct continuation of the ruling party’s undemocratic and repressive course, marking a qualitatively new and extremely grave phase in the country’s autocratization.
The lawsuit targets five political associations: the United National Movement, the Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia – Lelo, Gakharia for Georgia, and the Federalists. All of them pursue a pro-Western agenda and advocate closer ties with the United States and the European Union.
As stated by the non-governmental organizations, the filed lawsuit is entirely unfounded and runs counter to both the Constitution of Georgia and fundamental standards established by the European Court of Human Rights and the Venice Commission.
Specifically, the plaintiffs’ sole so-called evidence is a legally void conclusion from a temporary parliamentary investigative commission that was established in gross violation of the Constitution and the parliamentary rules of procedure.
According to the statement, the lawsuit manipulatively equates legitimate democratic instruments—such as criticism of the government, parliamentary boycotts, inter-party cooperation, peaceful protest, and outreach to international partners—with the overthrow of the constitutional order.
The organizations emphasize that in the 2024 parliamentary elections, according to official data from the Central Election Commission (CEC), these parties garnered the support of 784,830 citizens (nearly 38% of voters). Banning them is equivalent to disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of citizens from political representation.
“This action will decisively destroy the already eroded public trust in the institution of elections, render future elections meaningless, eradicate any prospect for a peaceful and democratic transfer of power, and officially cement a one-party dictatorship,” the statement reads.
The non-governmental organizations address three main audiences:
To the judges of the Constitutional Court — to act independently, impartially, and in full compliance with the Constitution and human rights standards, taking into account the critical need to preserve political pluralism and freedom of choice.
To the citizens of Georgia — to refuse to accept the formalization of one-party rule and, through a unified civic stance, defend their constitutional right to freely choose and peacefully replace the country’s leadership.
To the international community and partners — to closely follow the proceedings before the Constitutional Court and assess their potential repercussions on the country’s democratic environment.
The joint statement was signed by:
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International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)
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Civil Society Foundation
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Transparency International Georgia
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Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA)
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Social Justice Center
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Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)
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Democracy Research Institute (DRI)
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Rights Georgia
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Sapari
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Europe Foundation
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European-Georgian Institute (EGI)
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Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD)
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Partnership for Human Rights (PHR)
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Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation)
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Human Rights Center (HRC)
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Tbilisi Pride
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Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG)
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Georgia’s Future Academy
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Georgian Center for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT)
