The Constitutional Court of Georgia on Monday (October 16) authorized the opening of impeachment proceedings by the ruling party against pro-Western President Salomé Zourabichvili after finding her guilty of “violating” the Constitution.
“On August 31, September 1 and 6, 2023, during working visits abroad, Georgian President Salome Zurabichvili exercised representative power in the field of foreign policy without the agreement of the government, thus violating the Constitution,” said the President of the Constitutional Court, Merab Tourava.
For the leader, whose powers are limited, to be removed, the Georgian Parliament will need to vote by a two-thirds majority, or 100 deputies out of 150. However, the Georgian Dream party (in power) currently has 90 seats and will have to convince ten opposition deputies, which is unlikely to happen according to observers.
Fear of an authoritarian drift
At the beginning of September, the ruling party began a procedure for the dismissal of Salomé Zourabichvili, very critical of her country’s government, causing yet another political crisis in this country with complex relations with Moscow.
This is the first time that a ruling party has initiated such an impeachment procedure in this former Soviet republic of around four million inhabitants.
The ruling party had notably banned Ms. Zourabichvili from soon visiting ten countries including Ukraine, and despite this refusal, the first female president in Georgia made a trip to Germany.
MPs should meet and vote “within the week”, Parliament Speaker Chalva Papouashvili said on Monday.
While relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have been very difficult since the pro-EU and pro-NATO orientation taken in 2004, and even more so since a Russian military intervention in 2008 followed by Moscow’s recognition of two Georgian separatist regions, the government of Prime Minister Irakli Garibachvili undertook a rapprochement last year.
This policy arouses the concern of a part of society which fears an authoritarian drift as well as the disapproval of Salomé Zourabichvili, who only sees a future for her country within the European Union.
