The recent statement by “Georgian Dream” regarding its intention to file a constitutional claim to declare the “United National Movement” and other democratic parties unconstitutional, and such a ban itself, effectively establishes a one-party dictatorship in Georgia, the resolution of the European People’s Party, approved today by the party’s political assembly in Vilnius, states.
“We express serious concern over the rapid entrenchment of an authoritarian regime in Georgia and the full-scale constitutional, political, and human rights crisis into which the country has fallen since ‘Georgian Dream’ announced that Georgia is halting its EU integration process,” the document reads.
The party emphasizes that the suppression of political dissent – including the politically motivated persecution of politicians, journalists, and civil society representatives, the adoption of repressive legislation, and the misuse of politically motivated judicial proceedings—calls into question the existence of democracy in Georgia and violates its obligations as an EU candidate country.
The document notes that no effective investigation has been conducted into police brutality and other human rights violations during demonstrations, including multiple substantiated reports of torture and ill-treatment of detainees.
“President Mikheil Saakashvili has already served four years of unjust political imprisonment, and more than 12 politicians and over 80 civil society activists, including independent journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, have been imprisoned on baseless, fabricated charges. ‘Georgian Dream’s’ actions against non-governmental organizations threaten their functioning and existence,” the resolution states.
The European People’s Party underscores that intimidation and retaliation against public officials continue, including a large number of dismissals, undermining the existence of an independent and impartial public service in Georgia.
The party also “calls on ‘Georgian Dream’ to revoke its publicly announced intention to petition the Constitutional Court to declare the United National Movement and other democratic parties unconstitutional.
It urges ‘Georgian Dream’ to set a specific date for new, free, fair, and competitive parliamentary elections, where state institutions, including the Central Election Commission, operate without political interference and not under conditions of state capture,” the resolution concludes.
Related story: Kobakhidze: Our goal is the constitutional ban of one political force — the ‘Collective National Movement’
