Lawsuit targets multiple political groups
On Wednesday, Georgia’s Constitutional Court began hearing a case filed in October 2025 by the Georgian Dream party and its parliamentary allies to ban five opposition parties. The lawsuit targets the United National Movement, which governed Georgia from 2004 to 2012 under Mikheil Saakashvili, and the Coalition for Change, which includes the parties Ahali, Girchi, More Freedom, and Droa. The coalition’s largest member, Ahali, was co-founded by Nika Melia and Nika Gvaramia months before the 2024 elections. The lawsuit also targets Lelo, founded by Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, the party For Georgia, established by Giorgi Gakharia, and the Federalists, founded by Giga Bokeria and Tamar Chergoleishvili. Gakharia, who served as interior minister and later prime minister under Georgian Dream, faces criminal charges that carry up to 13 years in prison and has been outside Georgia since summer.
| Party Name | Key Figures | Background |
|---|---|---|
| United National Movement | Mikheil Saakashvili | Ruled 2004-2012 |
| Coalition for Change | Nika Melia, Nika Gvaramia | Formed for 2024 elections |
| Lelo | Mamuka Khazaradze, Badri Japaridze | Founded 2019 |
| For Georgia | Giorgi Gakharia | Founded 2021 |
| Federalists | Giga Bokeria, Tamar Chergoleishvili | Founded before 2024 elections |
Legal basis and voter impact
The ruling party based this lawsuit on a 500-page report produced by an investigative parliamentary commission. This commission, which formed after the 2024 parliamentary elections, originally focused on the UNM years in power but later expanded its scope to cover the period up to the present day. Georgian Dream uses this report to claim the UNM was a criminal regime and that other named parties coordinated with them to destabilise the country. Tamar Chergoleishvili stated on Wednesday that the regime’s own count shows the four groups received more than 800,000 votes, which means the votes of those people are being invalidated. This judicial push clearly targets the political survival of the opposition.
The lawsuit seeks separate bans for the main parties but does not seek bans for smaller coalition partners due to their limited size. If the court upholds the case, all four parties that crossed the 2024 electoral threshold will be banned. Legislative changes passed in 2025 allow the Constitutional Court to ban a party if its goals or composition match a party that is already banned. This would mirror the 1991 decision when the Supreme Court banned Georgia’s Communist Party and revoked the mandates of its MPs.
International reaction and election consequences
Around 20 civil society organisations issued a joint statement on Wednesday, warning that banning political parties would formalise a one-party dictatorship. An opposition alliance formed in March 2026 called the lawsuit a "reckless move" that exposes the crisis of legitimacy facing Bidzina Ivanishvili, announcing the "Georgia Without Ivanishvili" campaign and a rally in Tbilisi scheduled for October 25 and a larger rally a month later. On October 19, European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said the proceedings suggest a "troubling instrumentalisation of the justice system" alongside recent legal amendments. The Georgian Foreign Ministry told EU representatives to refrain from actions that could be perceived as interference in the work of independent constitutional institutions.
Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili argued that the EU shows double standards, citing the German authorities’ opposition to the Alternative for Germany party and Moldova’s 2023 decision to bar the pro-Russian Sor party. The judicial decision could take several months, but judges have until June 2027 to reach a verdict before the 2028 parliamentary elections. If the court bans the five parties, the 2028 elections could be essentially uncontested, which would give Georgian Dream another four-year term until 2032.
