Constitutional Court Rejects Opposition Motions on First Day of Party Ban Hearings
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Georgia's Constitutional Court began hearings on Georgian Dream's lawsuit seeking to ban five opposition parties on October 21: the United National Movement (UNM), Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia - Lelo, the Federalists and For Georgia. The case was filed by 88 lawmakers from the ruling party, with hearings in Batumi scheduled to continue through October 23.
On the first day, the seven-judge plenum rejected motions by the UNM and Strong Georgia - Lelo to recuse judges, as well as For Georgia's request to have its case examined separately. The court also rejected the UNM's requests to summon Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, former President Mikheil Saakashvili and jailed opposition leader Levan Khabeishvili as witnesses.
UNM representative Ana Tsitlidze questioned the court's impartiality, saying it "is neither free nor fair and does not act in accordance with the Constitution of Georgia." Lelo representative Kakhi Samkharadze challenged the independence of three judges, citing one judge's past involvement in the investigation into the death of Sergeant Roin Shavadze and questioning the appointments of two others.
The UNM argued that Ivanishvili should testify because, in the party's view, he is Georgia's key decision-maker. It also sought testimony from Saakashvili about his time in office and from Khabeishvili concerning the events of October 4. Judge Eva Gotsiridze said the court's task was to assess the activities of the parties as a whole, not the individual responsibility of specific people.
The panel includes judges appointed or selected through processes involving Georgian Dream-controlled institutions. Judge Manana Kobakhidze, a former Georgian Dream MP, had resigned from the bench days prior after her recusal request was denied by the court.
Representatives of four targeted parties took part in the hearings, while the Federalists boycotted the proceedings, saying they did not want to legitimize the process. The party Freedom Square held a protest outside the court. Its leader, Levan Tsutskiridze, said the party would oppose injustice even when it did not directly affect it.
Separately, 19 civil society organizations condemned the lawsuit, describing it as part of what they called the ruling party's repressive policies. They argued that the case misrepresents government criticism, parliamentary boycotts, peaceful protests and appeals to international partners as attempts to overthrow the constitutional order. The organizations warned that banning the parties would deprive hundreds of thousands of voters of political representation.
The proceedings have drawn domestic and international criticism amid broader concerns over restrictions on civil society, independent media and opposition activity. The hearings are scheduled to continue on October 22 and 23.
