MOSCOW, Oct 20, Mikhail Katkov. Constitutional The court found Salome Zurabishvili guilty of violating the country's Basic Law, but parliament was unable to dismiss her. Only 86 deputies supported impeachment, but a hundred are needed. The ruling Georgian Dream party and the president accuse each other of betrayal and working for enemies. About the new round of the political crisis in the Transcaucasian republic — in the material .
The prosecution's position Zurabishvili made working visits to the European Union on August 31, September 1 and 6 without the government's consent. The Constitutional Court considered this illegal. Six out of nine judges voted to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Salome Zurabishvili during a speech in the Georgian Parliament
< br>“Unfortunately, it was confirmed that the head of our state is a violator of the constitution. <…> Part of the public expected from Mrs. Salome that she would introduce a European standard into Georgian politics. <…> Instead, we received a completely opposite picture when she told us that she does not recognize the constitution. This is a shameful fact,» said Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
Chairman of the Georgian Dream Irakli Kobakhidze indicated that after the verdict of the Constitutional Court, Zurabishvili lost both political and moral legitimacy — a year before the expiration of powers. And he called her a “lame duck” leading the opposition to the abyss. If the president has “basic dignity” left, she should resign herself, he added.
Irakli Kobakhidze
The government banned her from representing the country abroad due to the fact that she constantly supported the opposition . But Zurabishvili left anyway, explaining that her goal was to achieve EU candidate status for Georgia. The defense refers to the 49th and 78th articles of the constitution, which states that the president is responsible for interstate contacts and must make every effort to join the republic to the EU.
Garibashvili says that he will visit Brussels himself. “Our government has done everything possible, despite the sabotage of the opposition, internal and external enemies. <…> We are almost at the finish line of this process (obtaining EU candidate status. — Ed.),” he assures.< br>
Defense position Zurabishvili is not going to leave. According to her, she will continue to fight for the European and democratic future of the country, which is being hampered by the ruling party. The Georgian Dream impeached not it, but European integration, the president believes.
“You will not prove that I did anything wrong. <…> If you don’t believe me, check,” Zurabishvili said in parliament. “Call Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Charles Michel, Emmanuel Macron or even Alar Karis, Edgars Rinkevich, Gitanas Nauseda. By impeachment you insult not only me, but also these leaders, and are leading the country to isolation.»
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky during a meeting in Kiev
Presidential representative Maya Kopaleishvili noted that there were no factual or legal grounds for the Constitutional Court’s indictment. In her opinion, political pressure was exerted on the court. The opposition also agrees with this.
The Chairman of the Political Council of the Lelo Party, Badri Japaridze, and the Secretary General of the Agmashenebeli Strategy, Paata Manjgaladze, emphasized: the Constitutional Court voiced what was ordered in the Georgian Dream. Moreover, they are sure, the ruling party is also not independent and acts at the behest of Russia.
One of the leaders of the United National Movement (UNM), Levan Bezhashvili, added that by attacking the president, Georgian Dream is trying to divert attention from more important problems. UNM distanced itself from the scandal. The Girchi party did the same.
Behind-the-scenes struggle Zurabishvili is a French citizen, Mikheil Saakashvili’s protege. During his reign, she headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a year and a half. Despite this, in 2018, Georgian Dream supported her candidacy for the presidency. As Garibashvili now recalls, before the elections Zurabishvili’s rating did not exceed one percent, but thanks to such support she still won.
Conflicts between Zurabishvili and Georgian Dream began in 2022. The ruling party is trying to remain neutral in the conflict between Russia and the West, while the president actively criticizes Moscow. In the spring, the government approved a bill on foreign agents, and the opposition brought tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets. Zurabishvili joined those who called the document pro-Russian.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili during a press conference
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On the morning of October 18, before the vote in parliament, she signed a decree depriving Otar Partskhaladze of citizenship, against whom the United States imposed sanctions due to the “spread of Russian influence” in Tbilisi. And she vetoed the law on tightening the rules for holding rallies.
Experts believe that Georgia will be the main loser in this conflict. “Zurabishvili would not have won the elections without the Georgian Dream, they say this correctly. Her personal rating is still not very high. But at the same time, the party believes that the president should serve its interests, and not fulfill his duty to the people. And Zurabishvili has always had very big ambitions, so she abandoned the role of a puppet and is pursuing her own policy, without looking back at anyone,” explains Georgian political scientist Nika Chitadze.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili
The head of the Caucasus department of the Institute of CIS Countries, Vladimir Novikov, noted that the Georgian Dream is trying to finally push Zurabishvili into the opposition camp. “There, her thirst for power, combined with her poor knowledge of the Georgian language, will play in favor of the government,” he believes. The opposition will fall out, and the Georgian Dream guarantees itself the relative stability of the regime at least until the next presidential elections.