Presidential Impeachment: The court has ruled that pro-EU president Salome Zourabichvili breached the constitution by making unauthorized foreign trips to Germany and Europe, in general, to meet with EU leaders
Following the ruling by the nation’s Constitutional Court earlier in the day that said the President had violated the Constitution through her recent trip to Europe without the Government’s permission, Irakli Kobakhidze, the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, declared on Monday that the Parliament would vote on the impeachment of President Salome Zourabichvili this week.
In his remarks, Kobakhidze asserted that Zourabichvili “is no longer worthy to hold the high status of President of Georgia” and that a “majority of MPs elected by the Georgian people in the 2020 vote” would support this claim. However, he also noted the “lower” likelihood that the ruling party would secure at least 100 votes in the 150-member Parliament to remove her from office.
Kobakhidze claimed Zourabichvili would step down following the Court’s decision “if she has retained dignity,” but claimed the President was “not independent in her moves” and couldn’t make such a decision without the approval of the forces that had compelled her to egregiously violate the Constitution.
He also accused the President of being “in alliance” with the “radical United National Movement,” the largest opposition group in the Parliament.
