The Plenum of the Constitutional Court of Georgia begins today a substantive hearing on the lawsuit seeking to declare the activities of five political parties unconstitutional and to ban them.

Hearings will start at 12:00 on 21, 22 and 23 October.

The case is "Constitutional Lawsuit by Members of the Parliament of Georgia (88 Members in Total) on the Constitutionality and Prohibition of the Activities of Political Parties (Unity - National Movement; Coalition for Change Gvaramia Melia Girchi Droa; Strong Georgia - Lelo, For the People, For Freedom!; Federalists Party; Gakharia for Georgia)" (Constitutional Claim No. 1979).

According to the Constitutional Court, the plaintiffs firmly believe that all 5 parties named in the lawsuit have violated the first sentence of Article 23(3) of the Constitution of Georgia. On the one hand, this has already taken the form of attempts to overthrow and forcibly change Georgia`s constitutional order; on the other, it is evident in their continuing aim to overthrow and forcibly change that order in the future.