On October 15, Parliament will review in the first reading, in an accelerated procedure, a legislative package that, upon entry into force, will prohibit specific individuals from party activities, the right to hold political positions, and passive electoral rights.
Initiated by “Georgian Dream,” the amendments will be made to the Organic Law “On the Constitutional Court of Georgia,” the Organic Law “On Political Associations of Citizens,” the Electoral Code, and the Criminal Code.
The planned amendments to these laws will be discussed by the Legal Affairs Committee today.
According to the legislative package, persons associated with a political party that violates the Constitution will be banned from passive electoral rights – they will no longer be able to run in parliamentary or local self-government elections. They will be prohibited from membership in any party, and the creation of a new party by such persons will be inadmissible. Additionally, they will not be able to hold high positions or become heads of bodies provided for by the Constitution.
Furthermore, active parties must not accept individuals barred from political activities into their ranks or include them in party lists. Otherwise, the issue of canceling their registration will arise.
In cases where political parties accept into their ranks a person prohibited from party membership, this will result in fines for the party under criminal procedure.
The ruling Georgian Dream party announced on October 13 a new wave of crackdowns on ongoing protests and opposition groups, including criminal sentences for protest-related offenses and harsh restrictions on members of parties it is seeking to outlaw through a constitutional appeal. The announcement comes amid repeated signals from Georgian Dream officials that they plan to use the voluminous report of the party-led parliamentary commission to seek the banning of major opposition forces.
Parliament to review amendments in accelerated procedure from today, which, upon entry into force, will prohibit specific individuals from party activities, holding political positions, and passive electoral rights
