Georgian Parliament official accuses EU of double standards over party bans

Giorgi Gabunia, the Chair of the Culture Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday accused the European Union of applying double standards, saying that measures taken against political parties in other countries are not criticised, while similar measures in Georgia are portrayed as a threat to democracy.

“Twenty-two parties have been banned in Ukraine over the past three years, and eight in Moldova over the same period. A total of around 150 parties have been banned in Europe over recent decades”, he said.

“The EU’s double standards begin when the same legal measure is presented as a means of protecting democracy in Spain, Poland, Ukraine and Moldova without any criticism, but is portrayed as a threat to democracy in Georgia”, Gabunia concluded.