Pro-Western Parties Banned in Georgia as the Nation Moves Increasingly Toward the Russian Model

On Oct. 28, the ruling Georgian Dream Party (GDP) asked the Georgian Constitutional Court to ban three major pro-Western opposition parties. Party Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze initially made the shocking announcement on May 29, and the proposal will likely see the light of the day in the coming months. Amidst the government’s threats to political resistance, many experts and citizens worry that it indicates a strong desire to follow in the path of an authoritarian regime.

At the beginning of this year, the Georgian government adopted a law that facilitates the restraint of political parties. Under the previous law, a party could be banned if it sought to violently overthrow the constitutional order or territorial integrity by war propaganda or the creation of armed groups. However, with the new 23rd Amendment, the government can ban parties that are judged to replicate or continue a previously banned party. Thus, it is simpler and faster to dissolve parties or block opposition figures, increasing the government’s ability to control political competition.

Now, the targeted parties include the United National Movement (UNM), Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia-Lelo. The GDP-led government, criticized as leaning toward Moscow, has cited them as undermining the legitimacy of the authorities and maintaining close ties to the former pro-Western president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is now imprisoned. Per Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, the three pro-Western opposition parties “represent a real threat to the constitutional order,’’ and are accused of sabotage and unrecognition of the legitimacy of the country, according to the Interpress News Agency of Georgia.

If the Constitutional Court approves the proposed ban on the parties, the consequences would severely alter Georgia’s political landscape. The parties would lose their legal status, becoming unable to operate, participate in elections or receive public funding. Additionally, party members might risk their freedom and face criminal investigations for anti-constitutional activity.

Some political experts say this move represents more than a temporary political maneuver. “This is a full-scale state capture process,” former Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Eka Tkeshelashvili said. “We are witnessing a deliberate and long-term shift toward an authoritarian model encouraged and supported by Russia.”

“This is not simply about consolidating power domestically. It is about reengineering the state to suppress independent institutions, silence civil society, and neutralize democratic checks—and with that, to reverse Georgia’s progress toward the EU and NATO,” she explained. “The trajectory is clear: a country once seen as a champion of democratic transformation and a committed transatlantic partner is being pulled into Moscow’s orbit through authoritarian state capture.”

This policy has not come out of nowhere; Georgia has a history of passing what many argue is illiberal legislation.

Despite once being among the most democratic and pro-European of the successor states, Georgia has become increasingly authoritarian since the outbreak of the 2014 war in Ukraine, and has deepened its economic ties with neighboring Russia.

In 2011, the Kremlin-affiliated Georgian businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili established the Georgian Dream Party. Upon winning the October 2012 parliamentary elections, Ivanishvili placed his close associates in important government positions—a strategy that laid the foundation of an oligarchic system through which he continues to influence Georgian politics after leaving office. 

In power ever since, the GDP has frozen negotiations for Georgia’s accession to the European Union and accused the European bloc of plotting a revolution in Tbilisi, allegations the EU denies. The GDP claims it still hopes to join the European bloc, but only if it can preserve what it considers to be Georgia’s traditional Christian Orthodox values, as well as a peaceful relationship with Russia—the latter of which may conflict with European interests.

Public expression to the detriment of the Party is closely monitored and restricted in Georgia. Many high-ranking figures of the Georgian opposition, such as Zurab Japaridze and Giorgi Vashadze, have been imprisoned for refusing to cooperate with a GDP-established parliamentary commission, known for targeting former pro-Western politicians under the pretext of investigating past government officials. 

The mission to suppress opposing public opinion also affects ordinary citizens, with the police arresting hundreds of anti-government protestors. For the past year, these protests have been continuing regularly as the people have worked to avoid a progression into a Russian-like governance model.

With the arrests, crackdown on protests, and especially the recent political bans, a Georgian MCPS high school student who wished to remain anonymous described the situation as increasingly oppressive and dangerous. “Expressing pro-European or anti-government opinions in Georgia is definitely not safe,’’ she said. “The government has enforced laws such as banning marks at protests where police release poisonous gas and rubber bullets. People have been imprisoned simply for attending or posting about demonstrations, and even lost their jobs because their children opposed the government.’’

Despite the risks, Georgians, particularly youth, continue to fight back against what many consider to be a Russian dream but Georgian national nightmare. “[Remaining tied with Europe] means more than opportunity or democracy, it means freedom itself,” the anonymous Georgian student explained.

Written by Alexia Jarnea

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Creative Commons