Georgia court hears bid to ban five opposition parties

Georgia’s Constitutional Court opened hearings in Batumi on October 21 on a lawsuit by the ruling Georgian Dream party seeking to ban five opposition parties. The court is scheduled to hear the case over three days, with proceedings expected to continue through October 23. A final ruling is due by June 2027; one reported deadline is June 24, 2027. The lawsuit names the United National Movement, Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia-Lelo, the Federalists and For Georgia. It asks the court to declare the parties’ activities unconstitutional and prohibit them. The case was initially brought against three groups and later expanded to include five. Georgian Dream says the parties threaten the constitutional order and alleges they seek to overthrow or forcibly change it, undermine Georgia’s independence and territorial integrity, and draw the country into confrontation with Russia. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has described the parties as inherently unconstitutional. Those claims are allegations in the case, not findings by the court. The opposition parties reject the accusations and say the proceedings are politically motivated and intended to remove competitors. Their...