“By banning political parties, we will be brought down to the standards of African dictatorships. You are directly telling people that the path to the country’s freedom lies through rebellion, not elections. If necessary, I will sacrifice my life in the struggle. I have no fear of prison or liquidation. We must unite with the understanding that we may have to make any sacrifice to preserve Georgia’s freedom,” said Gedevan Popkhadze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, on PalitraNews’ program "Day’s Newsroom".

According to him, banning political parties would not merely distance Georgia from Europe and democratic standards; it would turn the country into one of provincial feudalism, where electoral democracy does not exist and power cannot be changed through elections.

“I believe a great deal also depends on us. I can tell you publicly, with complete sincerity, that I will defend this at the cost of my life, because I do not consider it worth living in a Georgia where this becomes reality. I have no problem with going to prison or with the regime eliminating me. If necessary, I will sacrifice myself in this struggle. I have thought this through carefully, and I believe there are people like this on our side. If this becomes our national choice, and we say that we would rather die fighting for freedom than live in slavery, I believe this is part of our genetic code. Of course, this is not characteristic of the entire nation, but there are people in this society who would rather die fighting for freedom than live in slavery.

“As for the methods of struggle, we need greater discipline during street protests, to raise the quality of those protests, and to make more efforts to demonstrate that we are prepared to go to any lengths, attracting people on that basis. We must unite with the understanding that we may be arrested, we may be killed, and we may have to make any sacrifice to preserve freedom for the people of Georgia and for the country’s future. Protests must continue with this understanding, and they must be highly contagious and deliberate, because it is genuinely better to die fighting than to live under such conditions,” Popkhadze said.

The opposition politician also noted that the issue was not simply the dissolution of political parties, but the abolition of electoral democracy in the country, with the authorities legally determining who can and cannot constitute the opposition.

“The authorities leave only their satellites in the political arena - only those political forces that suit them. If they see consistency, principle, loyalty to the people, and a willingness to fight in the opposition, they simply ban it. This is not an ordinary decision that would merely significantly change the political landscape. No, we will be brought down to the standards of African dictatorships. In this case, Georgia will not simply move further away from Europe, democratic standards, and human rights; it will become an ordinary country of provincial feudalism, where electoral democracy does not exist and power cannot be changed through elections.

“The authorities are telling the people directly: forget the principle that ‘if I do not like the government, I can vote it out.’ We must fully grasp the tragedy of this Constitutional Court decision. This means abolishing the constitutional principle that the source of power is not Bidzina Ivanishvili, but the Georgian people. You simply will no longer have political parties on the ballot that you like. You will have Georgian Dream and photocopies of Georgian Dream. In reality, this will abolish the opposition in the country,” Popkhadze said.

Regarding Constitutional Court judge Manana Kobakhidze’s decision to step down before the end of her term, the opposition politician said her actions had shed light on what was really happening inside the Constitutional Court.

According to Popkhadze, human rights had never been a matter of indifference to Kobakhidze, and he had never considered her someone who carried out politically dictated orders.

“I know Manana Kobakhidze. I think she is a good person. I believe she has always had principles. She was one of the founders of Article 42 and worked in the civil sector. Human rights have never been irrelevant to her, and even when we were in Parliament, I never considered her someone who carried out politically dictated orders.

“I am speaking about her basic good judgment - her decision not to take part in such an existential historical crime. Her term was about to expire, and she had nothing to gain from stepping down. But she could have participated in this in exchange for asking Ivanishvili and his regime for some further favor. After all, Ivanishvili approaches his relationships with people on this basis. He believes, ‘I do something for you, and you have to do something for me.’ A Constitutional Court judge should not and cannot operate according to such a standard.

“I believe this is a case in which we should commend Ms. Manana for her actions. Most importantly, her decision has exposed and clarified what is happening inside the Constitutional Court. In reality, there is a politically dictated order, and its purpose is to abolish electoral democracy in the country. Carrying out this order comes at a price.

“This is not just some law affecting one person’s rights. It is a law that deprives the entire Georgian people of their right to be the source of power and prevents them from forming a government of their choice through electoral democracy.

“Manana Kobakhidze’s actions speak more clearly than any commentary and require no further explanation. On the contrary, they answer questions and provide certain insights into what is happening in the Constitutional Court. If the proceedings are being conducted entirely within the law and judges are making decisions according to their conscience, then such a dramatic gesture would not occur. Either she should have been refused permission to participate in the proceedings because she believed she could not be part of them, or why should she not have been able to participate? She could simply have stated that banning the parties was wrong and that there was nothing unconstitutional about them; on the contrary, banning them would be unconstitutional,” Popkhadze noted.

The opposition politician also said that the risk of rebellion, revolution, or popular unrest is reduced when a country establishes a functioning legal order. When people are deprived of the right to change the government through elections, he argued, they are left with no other option and are directly told that the path to freedom lies through rebellion rather than elections.

“The price is extremely high. This is no longer just about reputational damage. When you abolish electoral democracy, you destroy the legal framework through which the Georgian people can fight for freedom, leaving them with only one means of political struggle.

“I know the underlying causes of terrorism and why it emerges. It is inherently bad; it is evil. But, as a rule, it is provoked by depriving people with dissenting views of political space. We must understand that we are protected from rebellion, revolution, and popular unrest when we create a lawful environment in our country. When a constitutional order exists and there is an opportunity to change the government through elections, any discussion of alternative methods is unequivocally subject to negative assessment.

“When you take that option away from people, the opposite happens: you leave them no other chance and directly tell them that the path to the country’s freedom lies through rebellion, not elections,” Popkhadze said.

The opposition politician added that his political team would participate in the Constitutional Court proceedings concerning the lawsuit.

“Ms. Manana’s actions were very effective in exposing what is happening, and I think that if we join this spectacle, it will make everything taking place there even more visible. People must fully understand the gravity of the situation. We must clearly grasp what is being taken away from us and what Georgian society stands to lose as electoral democracy is dismantled and a very primitive feudal dictatorship takes shape,” Popkhadze said.