Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the Lelo–Strong Georgia movement, fired back at the ruling party’s move to seek the banning of major opposition groups, posting on Facebook: “You are right to fear ‘Strong Georgia.’ We will make you pay anyway!!!”.
The post came after the ruling Georgian Dream party filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court asking it to declare three of the country’s largest opposition forces illegal — the United National Movement, the Coalition for Change, and the Strong Georgia–Lelo bloc — a step critics say marks a worrying escalation toward authoritarianism.
The legal action follows months of political tension in Georgia, including the jailing of several opposition figures, repeated mass protests and arrests, and recent legislation that makes it easier to outlaw political parties. Georgian Dream has argued the measures are needed to protect the constitutional order; opponents call them a political purge.
Khazaradze’s blunt social-media reaction is the latest sign that the standoff between the government and pro-Western opposition forces is deepening — and that the coming Constitutional Court proceedings could reshape Georgia’s political landscape.
Related story: Reuters: Georgia’s ruling party moves to ban major opposition groups amid rising authoritarianism
