Council of Europe: Georgia is experiencing a full-fledged constitutional and political crisis

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe expresses serious concern about the state of democracy in Georgia. This is stated in the resolution prepared following the visit of the Congress members to Georgia in early February.

The document titled "Situation with local and regional democracy in Georgia" was approved on March 26. The resolution was supported by 101 members of Congress, with 10 opposed.

"Georgia's democratic system is under extreme pressure. The overall climate is characterized by a complete lack of trust, as well as intimidation and polarization. The country is experiencing a full-blown constitutional and political crisis, as well as a crisis of human rights and democratic standards. The democratic backlash accelerated dramatically after the October 26, 2024 parliamentary elections and the rejection of the results by the opposition and domestic observers. Since then, the current parliament has de facto functioned as a one-party body of the ruling Georgian Dream party. This is incompatible with the essence of pluralistic parliamentary democracy and raises serious questions about its democratic legitimacy," the document says.

It is noted that the crisis has worsened after the decision of the just-approved government to suspend Georgia's accession to the EU from November 28, 2024.

A separate concern of the delegates was the consideration of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which is to replace the less stringent current version. According to the Congress, both initiatives are aimed at intimidating independent media and non-governmental organizations.

The delegates also drew attention to the tightening of legislation on demonstrations, which, as the document emphasizes, limits freedom of assembly.

In addition, the resolution refers to the "politicization of public administration," abuse of administrative resources and pressure on voters during election campaigns. The Congress condemned the frequent changes in the electoral legislation without broad discussion, which, according to the delegates, undermines the stability of the electoral system and the independence of electoral bodies.

In this regard, the Council of Europe representatives called on the Georgian authorities to take urgent measures to restore political dialog, review legislative restrictions, ensure a fair electoral environment and guarantee the participation of the opposition in the upcoming local elections scheduled for October 2025. The Congress also reaffirmed its readiness to continue monitoring the situation in Georgia and to support the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the country for 2024-2027.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is a consultative body of the Council of Europe, which represents the interests of local and regional authorities in the 46 member states. Its tasks include monitoring the state of local and regional democracy in Europe, assessing compliance with the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and developing recommendations and resolutions to improve the governance of local and regional authorities.

The Congress does not take binding decisions, but its conclusions and recommendations have a significant impact on the policies of states in the field of local self-government, especially in the context of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

reprinted from newsgeorgia.ge