TBILISI, November 6. /TASS/. Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Kobakhidze has advocated for banning a number of opposition parties which he sees as working to upend the country.

"You see, our country and its political system have been moving in circles. There is a criminal group - foreign agents, who cannot leave our country alone. These are essentially anti-democratic, non-constitutional forces who have always sought to topple the country’s constitutional order," the Georgian premier said as he urged efforts to protect the democratic system.

Earlier, the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party requested the Constitutional Court to ban the United National Movement party led by former President Mikhail Saakashvili, and two informal political coalitions, Coalition for Change and Civil Georgia. A parliamentary investigative committee established that Saakashvili’s party broadly violated human rights in 2004-2012 when it was the ruling party. Moreover, since the Georgian Dream came to power in 2012, the Saakashvili-led movement has continued to conduct subversive activities against the government as an opposition party.

Between February and August, an ad hoc commission investigated crimes committed during Saakashvili’s term as president and beyond. Among other crimes, it looked into the August 2008 conflict, crackdowns on businessmen and mistreatment of prisoners. As a result, the Georgian parliament adopted a law banning members of outlawed parties from any political activity.