The European Parliament demanded that "Georgian Dream" withdraw its claim to ban the opposition.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution demanding the "immediate withdrawal" of the constitutional claim by the ruling "Georgian Dream" to ban five opposition forces in the country. MEPs also called for the release of political prisoners and the introduction of targeted sanctions against the leadership of the ruling party.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in October 2025, the ruling party "Georgian Dream" filed a claim with the Constitutional Court, demanding to recognize as unconstitutional and ban three parties: "United National Movement", "Coalition for Changes", and "Strong Georgia - Lelo". In September, the ruling party renewed its claim in the Constitutional Court of Georgia, demanding to ban the party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, previously the "Federalists" party.
In mid-October 2025, the Parliament of Georgia adopted in the first reading a package of laws that would allow the Constitutional Court to ban individuals associated with a banned party from creating a party, membership in a political party, leadership/membership in the executive and control bodies of the party, holding state-political, political positions, and positions of heads of constitutional bodies, as well as participating as candidates in elections (passive electoral rights).
445 deputies voted for the document titled "On the Attempts of the Ruling Party 'Georgian Dream' to Ban Opposition Parties in Georgia", 37 voted against, and another 97 abstained. The draft resolution was prepared by a group of MEPs, including Rasa Juknevičienė and David McAllister, as reported by "News Georgia".
The document concerns the legal proceedings initiated by the parliament in November 2025. Initially, the claim was directed against the "United National Movement", "Coalition for Changes", and the "Strong Georgia - Lelo" association. In April 2026, the list was supplemented by the "Federalists", and in September by the "For Georgia" party, which remains the only opposition force with representation in parliament, according to the publication.
The European Parliament strongly condemned the "attempt to outlaw opposition parties in Georgia" and demanded the "immediate withdrawal of the constitutional claim against them". The removal of legitimate political opposition through judicial means is incompatible with democracy, according to the text of the document published on the European Parliament's website.
The European Parliament also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Elene Khoshtaria, Mzia Amaglobeli, Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Baramidze, and Nika Melia, as well as all individuals detained for peaceful protests; it calls for the withdrawal of politically motivated charges of "sabotage".
Furthermore, the European Parliament called for the repeal of provisions allowing for disproportionate restrictions on parties and individuals associated with banned parties, as stated in the document.
The European Parliament expressed regret over the lack of "tangible consequences" from the EU leadership and called for the introduction of personal sanctions and visa restrictions against those responsible for "democratic backsliding and political persecution", including against the founder of "Georgian Dream" Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakhaber Kaladze.