Banning political parties will cleanse the Georgian political process of a toxic environment – Shalva Papuashvili
According to the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, the issue of banning the activities of political parties in Georgia is an internal matter, and external political actors have no right to interfere in Georgia’s political landscape.
Papuashvili stated that banning these parties would help restore the health of the political process and allow other parties to engage with voters within a competitive environment.
"The result of banning these parties will be that the current situation—in which these parties are poisoning the political and party-based process in Georgia—will be rectified; this toxic, poisoned political process will be cleansed of such a toxic environment. Consequently, other parties will have the opportunity to engage with their voters—the Georgian public—within a competitive environment," Papuashvili declared. According to him, parties deemed unconstitutional by the authorities engage in unfair competition against other political forces; in Papuashvili’s assessment, this is because they employ violent methods, violate the Constitution, and appeal to the governments of foreign states against Georgia.
"It is akin to a company in the private sector or business engaging in unfair competition—evading taxes, laundering money, practicing dumping, and so on. These parties behave in exactly the same way," the Speaker of Parliament noted.
Papuashvili stated that criticism from foreign actors regarding political parties in Georgia is unacceptable, noting that other countries also impose restrictions on political parties and maintain oversight practices.
He cited Germany as an example, stating that the party "Alternative for Germany"—which, according to him, holds the highest approval rating in the country—is currently under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service (the Office for the Protection of the Constitution). According to Papuashvili, the party is being subjected to surveillance, and agents have been planted within its operations.
"It was of no concern to us which parties were declared unconstitutional in Ukraine or Moldova, nor does it concern us that a constitutional challenge is being prepared against the main opposition party in Germany. Therefore, given such situations in other countries, we certainly cannot accept any criticism from them," he stated.
The Speaker of Parliament noted that "Georgian Dream" intends to appeal to the Constitutional Court to definitively determine which side is acting unconstitutionally.
Papuashvili explained that over the past 14 years, the "collective National Movement" has questioned the legitimacy of the government and labeled "Georgian Dream" as unconstitutional. He pointed out that the opposition could have approached the Constitutional Court during this period but chose not to do so. "We have appealed to the Constitutional Court, and our contention is that the collective 'National Movement' is, in fact, unconstitutional; the Court will establish this," stated Papuashvili.
He added that the support of 30 MPs was required to file the claim, and that the authorities possess a solid basis to substantiate their position. Papuashvili expressed hope that the Constitutional Court would take the government's arguments into account.