May 13, 2025 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

Law on banning political parties in Georgia

On May 13, the Georgian Dream-led parliament passed in the third and final reading a package of amendments to the laws “On Political Associations of Citizens” and “On the Constitutional Court,” which independent legal experts consider repressive.

80 voted in favor, none against.

1. The amendments to the law “On Political Associations of Citizens” specify the conditions under which a party can be banned. The listed reasons include:

If its goal is to overthrow or forcibly change Georgia’s constitutional order,
Promotion of war or violence,
Undermining the country’s independence or violating its territorial integrity,
Inciting national, ethnic, religious, or social hatred,
Creating an armed formation.

2. The Constitutional Court of Georgia has been granted the authority to ban any new party if its declared goals, core activities, or membership resemble those of a party previously banned by the Constitutional Court.

Opinion: ‘If this continues, West really will want to change government in Georgia’

David Zurabishvili: “This threat would likely have already taken a very real shape if it weren’t for the political storm unleashed after Trump’s election.”

“With the adoption of these amendments, the Constitutional Court will be able to exercise effective constitutional oversight over political parties. Individuals seeking […] to continue unconstitutional activities will, by court decision, be prohibited from operating through new fictitious parties,” reads the draft submitted by Georgian Dream.

According to the document, the law will enter into force upon publication.

In April, Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of Georgian Dream, announced that the party would file a constitutional lawsuit to ban opposition political parties immediately after the local elections scheduled for October 2025.

“We are confident that the Georgian people will give a worthy response to the agent-led parties in this election. We will win triumphantly and do not want internal or external forces to claim that the government rushed to ban parties right before the vote,” Mdinaradze said.