The Georgian government intends to file a new lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to ban political parties, concurrently withdrawing its previous application. This updated claim, confirmed by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s parliamentary committee on procedural issues, notably expands the list of targeted groups to include the Federalists party.
Eighty-nine members of parliament have signed the new constitutional lawsuit. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili indicated the decision is linked to an opposition alliance declaration reportedly signed on 2 March 2026, adding that the ruling team is assessing the alliance’s influence.
Papuashvili further stated that former president Mikheil Saakashvili and opposition figures Giga Bokeria and Nika Gvaramia are perceived as the primary leaders of the political process. He clarified that the initial lawsuit targeted the United National Movement, the Coalition for Change, and Lelo, while the new claim additionally includes the Federalists.
The ruling party characterised the change as an effort to “adjust” and expand the lawsuit’s scope. This development occurs as US Congressman Joe Wilson, in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, described Georgia as a "frontline in global fight against dictatorships" and stressed that "the Georgian people deserve genuinely free and fair elections.”
Reactions among the opposition have been mixed. Tamar Chergoleishvili, a leader of the Federalists party, viewed a potential ban as a procedural move rather than a substantive threat to their political plans. She argued the step is aimed at resetting the Constitutional Court’s timeline for considering the case.
Chergoleishvili explained that the regime requires a new timeframe because the nine-month deadline for the previous lawsuit is expiring. She assessed the withdrawal of the earlier claim and the filing of a new one as a demonstration of the regime’s weakness, asserting it lacks the resolve to ban the initially targeted parties.
For Federalists, a ban on any party, regardless of their stance on it, signals the "political process is dying," Chergoleishvili stated. She affirmed the party would not participate in any formal process that serves as "decoration for the regime," preferring to defeat competitors in a fair contest rather than through bans.
The ruling Georgian Dream party had previously filed a lawsuit in autumn 2025, seeking to ban three major opposition groupings: Unity — National Movement, Lelo — Strong Georgia, and the Coalition for Change: Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa. These parties collectively garnered 623,299 votes in the 2024 parliamentary elections, securing 49 seats and 30.01% of the vote.