Major Opposition Parties File Constitutional Counter-Suits Following Georgian Dream's Ban Attempt
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
The political dispute in Georgia has escalated to the Constitutional Court, with two major opposition parties, Lelo/Strong Georgia and the United National Movement (UNM), filing separate lawsuits. These legal challenges directly confront the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party's recent legislative efforts aimed at potentially banning them and other opposition groups.
The series of legal actions was initiated by Lelo on October 27. The party argues that the legislation recently adopted by the GD-dominated parliament, which aims to strip individuals "associated" with banned parties of their passive voting rights, violates fundamental guarantees within the Georgian Constitution and international legal conventions.
The UNM announced its complementary legal challenge on November 10. A party representative stated that the appeal is being filed at the request of international partners and the legal community, viewing the process as strategically important for subsequent proceedings, including those before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The UNM plans to challenge the law in three phases: initially targeting the report from the GD-led parliamentary commission of inquiry, then challenging the laws regarding political party bans, and finally filing a direct lawsuit against Georgian Dream.
These counter-suits follow the ruling party's own action announced on October 28. Georgian Dream stated it would submit a case to the Constitutional Court seeking to ban three principal opposition entities: the UNM, Ahali/Coalition for Change, and Lelo/Strong Georgia. The party also indicated that smaller groups "closely related" to these forces could face similar measures. GD's appeal is based on a report by the Tea Tsulukiani Commission, which investigated alleged historical crimes committed by former officials. The GD lawsuit notably excludes the opposition party For Georgia, led by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.
