Kobakhidze Awaits Court Ruling on Georgian Dream Bid to Ban Opposition Parties
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Monday that the government was awaiting a Constitutional Court decision on its lawsuit seeking to ban several opposition parties, while dismissing reported disagreements among judges hearing the case.
"First of all, we are waiting for the decision of the Constitutional Court of Georgia. I think after this decision we will all rest together," Kobakhidze told reporters.
Georgian Dream party has asked the Constitutional Court to declare several opposition political groups unconstitutional and prohibit their activities. The case initially targeted Unity-National Movement, Coalition for Change and Strong Georgia. Georgian Dream later withdrew its original lawsuit and filed a revised version that also named the Federalists.
The case is significant because a court ruling in favour of the government would remove major opposition forces from Georgia's political system.
Kobakhidze was asked about reports of disagreements among Constitutional Court judges over whether to accept the lawsuit for consideration. He said he had no information about the court's internal discussions and argued that differences between judges would be normal.
"As for the situation in the Constitutional Court, this is not our business," he said. "Of course, if there is a difference of opinion, this is a healthy process; in any court there may be differing views among the judges on this or that issue."
He said the court alone was responsible for deciding how to proceed with the case.
"However, this is entirely the court's business from start to finish; I cannot tell you what the situation is there," Kobakhidze said.
He also used the opportunity to criticise the opposition, saying its internal disputes showed that it was losing strength.
"There is a difficult situation in the opposition and difficult processes are unfolding, and all of this is an echo of weakness," he said. "When any organism weakens, this then has its manifestations, and in this case confrontation with one another and insults are an expression of that."
Georgian Dream first filed the constitutional case in 2025, seeking to ban three major opposition forces: Unity-National Movement, Coalition for Change and Strong Georgia. The party later moved to submit a corrected version after the opposition regrouped, adding the Federalists to the case.
Georgian Dream has argued that the parties targeted by the lawsuit are linked to the former United National Movement government and have acted against Georgia's constitutional order. Opposition groups and critics have rejected the government's efforts to outlaw them, warning that the move would further weaken political competition.
Kobakhidze said the government would announce any changes concerning the lawsuit.
"As for our lawsuit, if there is any change in this regard, we will definitely inform you," he said.
The Constitutional Court's decision will determine whether the government's effort to ban the named opposition parties can move forward.
