The ruling party in Georgia, "Georgian Dream," has initiated the impeachment procedure against President Salome Zurabishvili for embarking on unapproved visits.
Ekho Kavkaza reports.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced this, even though it is clear that the ruling party does not have the necessary 100 votes required for her removal.
"To complete the impeachment, the support of 100 deputies is required, so without the votes of the radical opposition, it has no prospects. Nevertheless, during the party's political council meeting, we made the decision to initiate the impeachment procedure against the President of Georgia," stated Kobakhidze.
The leader of "Dream" explained this as a "responsibility towards the constitution," stating that the party cannot ignore "glaring violations undermining the rule of law."
Kobakhidze later mentioned that before initiating the impeachment, "Dream" would submit a request to the Constitutional Court asking them to determine whether Zurabishvili, through her decisions, violated the fundamental law – "although it's all quite obvious," as it is part of the procedure.
Recall that the Georgian government did not approve nearly a dozen visits by the president for the next six months, with most of them being to Europe.
However, on August 31, Salome Zurabishvili still flew to Germany to meet with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and on September 1, she will meet with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
She stated that these meetings mark the beginning of a tour to support Georgia's candidacy for EU membership.
Zurabishvili became Georgia's president in 2018 with the support of "Dream" and its co-founder, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. Relations between Salome Zurabishvili and the ruling party began to deteriorate with the start of full-scale war and the Georgian government's anti-Western turn. Her term of office expires in the autumn of 2024.
