Ruling Party Seeks Constitutional Majority to Ban Opposition, “Gay Propaganda,” Two Other Cryptic Reasons

The ruling Georgian Dream party addressed its supporters on August 20, saying it seeks the Constitutional mandate to ban opposition – referred to as “collective UNM,” to crack down on “gay propaganda” and two other reasons that remained cryptic.

GD said it stands for “peace, traditional values, and state sovereignty” and that to achieve those goals, it needs to win a constitutional majority (113 out of 150 seats) in the upcoming parliamentary elections in October. It than listed four specific goals which it needs that majority for.

First, “to substantially refresh the political system,” which GD says “cannot be achieved without getting rid of the collective UNM.” The GD pledges to initiate legal proceedings shortly after the elections to declare “the UNM, all its satellites and successor parties” unconstitutional. GD is habitually brands its opponents as “collective UNM,” including opposition parties, CSOs, and even President Salome Zurabishvili.

The reason listed for such a legal ban is the responsibility for the August 2008 war, and alleged attempts of the “collective UNM” to “open the second front” against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. “We must show to these forces that getting rid of the collective UNM from the political system is the decision of the large, constitutional majority of Georgian people,” the statement says.

Second, the GD says it needs a constitutional majority to pass the constitutional anti-LGBT legislation. Claiming that “the spread of pseudo-liberal ideology is becoming increasingly dangerous in the world and in Georgia,” citing the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics as one of the latest manifestations, the GD says the legislation will “strengthen family values and the protection of minors at the highest, constitutional level.”

“After the adoption of the constitutional Law, no one will ever be able to impose on us the so-called same-sex civil partnerships, the adoption of children by same-sex couples, or the legalization of sex-change surgery, the legalization of other so-called genders beyond female and male, the propagation of pseudo-liberal ideology through educational institutions and means of mass information, and other viciousness that has already brought our country to the gravest consequences,” the statement says.

The two other reasons are quite cryptic.

The GD says that “in case of peaceful restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity, constitutional amendments will be necessary to bring the Georgian system of government and territorial state arrangement in line with the new reality,” noting that “given the opposition’s anti-state attitude,” it will not support amending the constitution and become an “obstacle” on this path. The ruling party, however, does not say what changes are pending and what kind of constitutional amendment it envisions.

As for the fourth reason, the GD does not provide specific details at all, just saying that constitutional regulation of this issue could be crucial for protecting Georgia’s identity and national values. The party says that consultations are underway and that its position is expected to be announced to the public by the end of the month.

In addition, the GD dares to warn Georgians of war if it does not remain in power. The statement says that if the opposition had won the 2020 or 2021 elections, “today Georgia would be in a more serious condition than Ukraine.”

Reiterating that “strengthening peace” is the country’s main objective in the upcoming elections, the GD calls on citizens to gear up to vote, stressing the importance of every vote.

The statement also notes that “the more votes the Georgian Dream will receive, the faster and more effective Georgia’s relations with the United States of America and the EU will be reset, and the stronger Georgia’s national interests will be protected in the international arena.”

In this statement, too, GD continues to frame the elections as a referendum-like choice between “war and peace”, between “moral degradation and traditional values”, between “Georgia’s slavish attitude towards external forces and independent sovereign state”, and between “collective UNM and Georgian Dream”, calling on everyone to go to the ballot boxes.

“To those for whom the country is precious, put everything aside and come to the elections, put aside all narrow political issues, because this election is not about politics, but about saving the country,'” the statement concludes.

Also Read:

• 13/08/2024 – Instrumentalizing Tagliavini Report, GD Blames UNM for 2008 War, Calls for Trial
• 08/08/2024 – “Omi Ginda?!” – Ruling Party Campaign Dares Georgians to “Vote for War”

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