Kobakhidze: Party Ban Issue Should Be Decided by Constitutional Court

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze believes that the issue related to banning parties should be decided in the Constitutional Court. According to him, the government considers these parties unconstitutional because of their statements, actions, past, present and future plans. The Constitutional Court is starting to consider this lawsuit.

Kobakhidze responded to a statement by Grigol Gegelia, one of the leaders of "Lelo - Strong Georgia", that "today they have turned to international friends for help". According to the prime minister, the opposition should focus on informing the Constitutional Court rather than "their patrons abroad".

"If I were in their place, I would be focused on informing the Constitutional Court. They should defend themselves before the Constitutional Court and the lawsuit that has been submitted to the court. They should prepare arguments, but since they have no arguments and do not hope to have arguments in the Constitutional Court, they are turning not to the Constitutional Court but to their patrons abroad, which once again shows their true face", Kobakhidze said.

According to him, the lawsuit raises a very simple issue: these political parties do not recognize the legitimacy of the existing constitutional order. In the prime minister's assessment, someone has to decide who is right: either they are right, or those who say this are blatantly opposing Georgia's constitutional order. Kobakhidze added that the government will submit a very clearly formulated lawsuit to the Constitutional Court.

Kobakhidze said that these parties have openly spoken about their unconstitutionality for years and confirmed it with every action and statement. According to him, therefore they have no arguments, and now they will have to appear before the Constitutional Court without arguments.

Regarding the fact that some opposition parties are announcing street protests in parallel with the lawsuit, the prime minister said that these forces have no chance anywhere.

"These forces have no chance anywhere - neither in elections, nor in parliament, nor on the street, nor in the Constitutional Court. Therefore, they are in complete uncertainty and announce one thing, then another, but each time, however much they have announced, they have failed, which has one simple reason - these political forces do not have the support of the Georgian people, and second - they are not right either before the law, the constitution, or the people, the state, their own country", Kobakhidze said.

According to the prime minister, these parties have been looking to their patrons abroad throughout this entire period, yet even they cannot help them. Kobakhidze stated that the opposition is in despair and is making another round of statements about new plans, and these plans are doomed to complete failure.