Nika Gvaramia on the lawsuit regarding the banning of 5 opposition parties: The decision has been made; now, it’s just a matter of dressing it up

"The decision has been made; now, it’s simply a matter of dressing it all up—trying to make the 'deceased' look presentable," stated Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, following the conclusion of the Constitutional Court hearing.

According to Nika Gvaramia, the request to conduct an evidentiary examination stage was denied—a development he described as "absolutely inconceivable and inconsistent with the requirements of the law."

"What has transpired regarding the evidence is highly problematic. I am unsure how the court intends to resolve this situation; essentially, an entire stage of the judicial proceedings has been omitted. It is absolutely inconceivable and fails to meet legal requirements. This is not the first instance where procedural fairness has worked against us; the court has deprived us of our rights in many respects—including regarding witnesses and the procurement of evidence. This truly goes beyond all bounds—an entire stage has been completely excised," stated Nika Gvaramia.

For context, the Lelo – Strong Georgia coalition had requested an evidentiary examination stage during the Constitutional Court’s review of a lawsuit filed by Georgian Dream MPs, which seeks the banning of five opposition parties. The relevant motion was submitted by Levan Samushia, the representative for the respondent side; however, representatives from other opposition parties also supported it.

The Plenum of the Constitutional Court granted the motion filed by Lelo – Strong Georgia regarding the examination of evidence during the hearing only in part.