PACE Envoys Conclude Georgia Mission Amid Constitutional Crisis
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Two high-level officials from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) wrapped up a critical visit to Georgia this week, focusing on escalating political tensions after the governing Georgian Dream party sought to outlaw three major opposition groups.
Edite Estrela and Sabina Cudic, PACE's monitoring co-rapporteurs for Georgia, were in the capital on November 10 and 11 for a series of fact-finding meetings with parliamentary leaders, rival political factions, and representatives of civil society organizations.
The mission followed the October 29 announcement by the ruling party that it was petitioning the Constitutional Court to ban three key opposition parties. The PACE co-rapporteurs had previously issued a joint statement expressing grave worry over the action, warning that such a step "would effectively establish a one-party dictatorship and be incompatible with Council of Europe membership."
Georgia's governing delegation had previously withdrawn its participation from PACE's plenary sessions following the 2025 winter meeting. At that time, the Assembly had conditionally approved the delegation's credentials on the requirement that new national elections be called and that "all political prisoners" be released.
The Council of Europe envoys began their trip by engaging with non-governmental organizations.
Giorgi Burjanadze of the Civil Society Foundation told reporters that the meeting addressed the nation's human rights record, the status of the judiciary, recent laws affecting NGOs and media, and "all those issues that prompt Georgia's democratic backsliding."
The delegation then met with leaders from the United National Movement (UNM), Lelo/Strong Georgia, and the Coalition for Change, the three parties facing the potential court-ordered ban.
Tina Bokuchava, the UNM chair, stated that the key topics included the proposed party ban, the crucial need to free political detainees, and possible actions by the Council of Europe to influence Bidzina Ivanishvili and the "repressive regime" she attributes to Georgian Dream.
On November 11, Ms. Estrela and Ms. Cudic held discussions with parliamentary figures, including Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Foreign Relations Committee Chair Nikoloz Samkharadze.
A parliamentary statement indicated the conversation covered the latest national and local elections, controversial legislative acts, Georgia's relationship with the European Union, and the attempt to declare opposition parties unconstitutional.
Speaker Papuashvili reportedly welcomed the dialogue, stating that Georgia had completed another election cycle and that the coming three years "will be dedicated to the development of legal and institutional reforms."
The Speaker also defended the legitimacy of the 2024 parliamentary elections, asserting there was "no evidence" of fraud, and questioned PACE's demand for early elections. He noted that two opposition groups ended their boycott to participate in the recent local polls, calling it "yet another fact that indirectly confirms the allegations of fraud in the parliamentary elections were fabricated."
Regarding the criticized legislation, Papuashvili briefed the co-rapporteurs on various amendments, stressing that the laws in question "are under consideration by the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights." He concluded, "Therefore, it is preferable to refrain from political assessments and await the court decisions."
In a press briefing afterward, Nikoloz Samkharadze addressed the delegation's stalled participation in PACE. "However, we clearly reiterated that our suspension of participation is due to the provision in one of PACE's resolutions calling for snap elections," Samkharadze explained. "We told them this is a red line for us. We believe that this provision is politically motivated. If this position changes, our full participation in PACE will be restored."
The PACE officials also held separate meetings with members of the People's Power faction and the opposition party Gakharia For Georgia.
