Georgian Parliament official accuses opposition of undermining state interests through foreign pressure

Archil Gorduladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs, on Monday commented on Constitutional Court proceedings seeking to ban opposition parties, accusing them of attempting to escalate tensions between Georgia and Russia amid the Russia-Ukraine war and pressure the Georgian state through foreign actors.

Gorduladze said that, since 2022, certain opposition forces had sought to aggravate the conflict between Georgia and Russia against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, drawing parallels with the actions of the United National Movement (UNM) ahead of the 2008 war.

He further accused opposition parties of seeking to have Georgia and its government “punished” by foreign countries to fuel public discontent and turn citizens against their democratically elected government. He said these efforts included attempts to undermine visa-free travel for Georgian citizens, systematic information campaigns against the state and government, and calls for sanctions.

“From the very first moments of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the objective and attempts of unconstitutional political parties to escalate the conflict between Georgia and the Russian Federation to the highest possible level amid the Russia-Ukraine war became evident. To this day, these parties have continued trying to escalate tensions between Georgia and Russia in the same manner and to the same degree as the United National Movement did before the 2008 war”, Gorduladze said.

“Since 2012, attempts to undermine Georgia’s independence have also taken other forms. Specifically, these political parties have sought to have the Georgian state and government ‘punished’ from abroad on various issues, with the aim of fueling public discontent, turning citizens against the government they have lawfully elected, and using these processes to sabotage the Georgian state and exert pressure on the government”, he continued.

Gorduladze said these efforts included actions that, in his view, undermined the introduction and maintenance of visa-free travel for Georgian citizens within the European Union, as well as systematic information campaigns against the Georgian state and government from abroad, calls for sanctions, and attempts to facilitate their imposition.

Gorduladze also referred to a joint declaration signed in Brussels on June 24, 2024, by six opposition parties: the United National Movement, Girchi - More Freedom, Akhali, Lelo, Droa, and Strategy Aghmashenebeli.

Under the declaration, the signatories agreed to determine, by July 8, 2024, the most effective format for their cooperation to maximize their electoral results; establish a joint governing coalition after the elections; support a single candidate in the presidential election following the parliamentary elections; and encourage maximum participation by Georgian voters living abroad while asking partner countries to facilitate the process.

Gorduladze also cited a letter sent after the 2024 parliamentary elections by the opposition parties Coalition for Change – Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa; Unity - National Movement; Strong Georgia - Lelo, For the People, For Freedom; and For Georgia to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the foreign ministers of EU member states.

According to Gorduladze, the parties called on their recipients to urge the Georgian authorities to refrain from convening the first session of the newly elected Parliament until the international assessment process had been completed; declare that Georgia’s EU accession process had been suspended because of the authorities’ handling of the parliamentary elections; suspend all official EU communication with the Georgian government at every level until the authorities agreed to an international investigation; and suspend approximately €120 million in annual government financial assistance, redirecting those funds to non-governmental organizations and independent media outlets.

The Constitutional Court of Georgia’s Plenum began substantive hearings on Monday in a lawsuit seeking to determine the constitutionality of five political parties and whether they should be banned.