Tbilisi says STOP to political sabotage Georgian Dream seeks ban on opposition parties

The Georgian radical opposition, which is betting on an unconstitutional change of power, risks being declared illegal soon. Leading opposition parties could be ruled unconstitutional.

On October 28, 2025, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court seeking to ban the parties United National Movement, Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia – Lelo. These political groups finished second, third, and fourth, respectively, in last year’s parliamentary elections, following Georgian Dream. If the lawsuit is upheld—which could take about nine months to review—these three parties and their leaders would be barred from running in and participating in elections.

Shalva Papuashvili also outlined the legal basis for the lawsuit in the Constitutional Court. The opposition forces are accused of attempting to overthrow and forcibly replace Georgia’s constitutional order, undermining the country’s independence, violating its territorial integrity, damaging the prospects for peaceful national unity, attempting to provoke active military conflict between Georgia and Russia, and assisting foreign powers in violating the country’s sovereignty.

In the future, Papuashvili emphasised, smaller opposition parties could also face a ban if they effectively replace the organisations targeted by the Constitutional Court lawsuit.

"Other parties are closely linked with the aforementioned political groups, such as Elene Khoshtaria – Droa and Girchi – More Freedom, which are effectively part of the 'Coalition for Change: Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa,' even though they are formally registered as independent. This also includes Yes to Europe – Aghmashenebeli Strategy, European Georgia – Movement for Liberty, the Federalist Party, the Republican Party of Georgia, and other nominal parties consisting of only one or very few members. However, because these parties currently have limited size and organisational structure, they do not exert significant influence and have no realistic prospect of surpassing the electoral threshold, there is no need to ban them at this stage. The question of their unconstitutionality may be raised later if they acquire substantial influence over the political process," said Shalva Papuashvili.

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili has expressed support for the ruling party, Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia, in its decision to approach the Constitutional Court seeking to ban three opposition parties, including the United National Movement, founded by former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Kavelashvili stated that “the deliberate use of foreign funding to harm the political environment provides grounds for excluding such parties from the country’s political space.”

Symbolically, shortly before Georgian Dream filed its lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to ban radical opposition parties, Salome Zourabichvili and opposition leaders organised a rally in central Tbilisi under the slogan “Until the End, Until Victory!” The event was timed to mark the anniversary of the parliamentary elections, the results of which Zourabichvili and the opposition still refuse to recognise, continuing to demand early elections.

Zourabichvili once again claimed that the Georgian authorities were allegedly facing “international isolation” and reiterated her familiar assertions that “the regime has lost” and “its days are numbered.”

"Let our hearts endure a little longer, and soon there will be a real, final victory — new elections, a new society, and a new political space, which this country truly needs. This is our future, and for this future we stand together," Zourabichvili told her small group of supporters.

A natural question arises: what “new elections” was Zourabichvili referring to if the opposition forces supporting her could be declared unconstitutional and barred from participating? It is evident that she continues to rely on a forcible change of power — a coup — and that the so-called “elections” are intended only to give this power grab the appearance of legitimacy.

The opposition lacks the internal strength and resources to change power, and public support has waned — as evidenced by the small turnout at the October 26 rally, which drew no more than two thousand people. As before, the opposition’s hopes remain pinned on external pressure on the Georgian authorities.

However, since Georgia does not share a direct border with the European Union and EU countries are not among its main foreign trade partners, the impact of such pressure is unlikely to be significant. Moreover, Salome Zourabichvili’s claims of alleged “international isolation” of the current authorities sound dubious considering that Georgia is a crucial link in the Middle Corridor — a strategic transit route for Eurasia. Georgia’s key economic partners — Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and China — have close ties with the country, do not question the legitimacy of the Georgian government, and do not interfere in its internal affairs. This allows Tbilisi to confidently defend its national sovereignty and interests.

Furthermore, even European institutions that had previously taken a hostile stance toward the Georgian authorities have begun to soften their rhetoric after realising that a forcible change of government is impossible. In particular, Luis Graça, Special Representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for the South Caucasus, expressed concern about the possible consequences of banning three opposition parties, but did so in a very diplomatic manner.

"I am deeply concerned about the potential consequences of these proceedings for Georgia’s democratic development. Any individuals who have broken the law or violated the Constitution should, without question, be held accountable in a fair and transparent manner. However, the prospect of banning multiple opposition parties, raises serious concerns about political pluralism and democratic health," said Luis Graça.

The key point in this statement is that the OSCE representative effectively recognised, for the first time, the legitimacy of the Georgian authorities’ actions in holding lawbreakers accountable. Meanwhile, the opposition parties targeted by Georgian Dream’s lawsuit have indeed systematically violated the law and the Constitution. The radical opposition has incited unrest, encouraged participants in rallies to attack law enforcement officers, and blocked highways. Only the declining number of supporters and the small size of recent rallies have prevented the opposition from carrying out large-scale provocations, such as an attempted seizure of the presidential palace.

Nevertheless, the OSCE continues to call on the Georgian authorities, in the name of “political pluralism,” to tolerate the existence of parties that openly intend to break the law and pursue unconstitutional changes of power.

By Vladimir Tskhvediani, Georgia, exclusively for Caliber.Az