A legislative initiative proposing the abolition of the temporary administrative-territorial unit and its administration on the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous District has been submitted to Parliament. According to the draft, the administration will be formally dissolved starting January 1, 2026.
Under the initiative, put forward by Georgian Dream MPs, two laws will be repealed:
• On creating appropriate conditions for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the former South Ossetian Autonomous District
• On property restitution and compensation for those affected as a result of the conflict in the former South Ossetian Autonomous District
Announcing the proposal, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili recalled that in November 2006 the United National Movement government organized “unconstitutional elections” in the Tskhinvali region, resulting in the declaration of a so-called “President of South Ossetia” and the formation of an “alternative government.” He said this step indirectly legitimized separatist processes and amounted to “a grave betrayal of Georgia’s national interests.”
Papuashvili stated that in June 2007, again in violation of the Constitution, a “Temporary Administration of the Administrative-Territorial Unit” was created on the basis of that alternative government. This decision, he argued, artificially restored the boundaries of the South Ossetian Autonomous District — abolished in 1990 — and later became one of the factors contributing to the 2008 Russian military aggression and the occupation of Samachablo.
He claimed that these decisions were part of a broader geopolitical game in which “Georgia was treated as a sacrificial pawn,” and policies implemented by the Saakashvili government escalated tensions and ultimately led to war. He noted that Parliament has assessed these actions as “a harsh betrayal of national interests,” which is reflected in the constitutional lawsuit seeking to declare UNM unconstitutional.
Papuashvili stressed that Georgia’s long-standing non-recognition policy remains firm and that even the indirect use of the term “South Ossetia” by the previous government was “a violation of the Constitution and national interests,” as no such entity exists in Georgia’s legal or political space.
Following consultations with the government, he said, the parliamentary majority decided to abolish the administration created in 2007.
Papuashvili emphasized that the municipalities of Akhalgori, Kurta, Tighvi, and Eredvi will continue to operate. These municipalities, elected in 2006, remain “the only legitimately elected and functioning authorities in the Tskhinvali region” and represent the sole legal continuation of Georgia’s constitutional framework there.
Related story: Georgian Dream moves to abolish administration of the former South Ossetian autonomous region
