President of Georgia: "Protests must remain at the level of self-organization"
Georgia’s President on the political crisis
President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili said at a briefing on December 2 that the mass protests across the country should remain, as they are now, at the level of self-organization.
She also mentioned that in the coming days, the most significant event could be the start of the consideration of her lawsuit in the Constitutional Court regarding violations of voting secrecy and transparency in the October 26 parliamentary elections. The lawsuit was filed on November 19.
The president held a briefing after meeting with opposition leaders who signed the “Georgian Charter” before the elections.
This is the name of the action plan presented by Salome Zourabichvili.
The goal of the charter is to unite the pro-European opposition as a counterbalance to the ruling “Georgian Dream.”
Earlier, Salome Zourabichvili declared the October 26 parliamentary elections as fraudulent and called any decisions made by the newly elected parliament illegitimate. On November 30, she held an emergency briefing, stating that she is the only legitimate authority in the country and will remain president until new, fair parliamentary elections are held and a legitimate parliament is established.
“Protests do not need the involvement of political parties or the president”
“We all agreed that protests do not need the intervention of political parties, nor mine. This is primarily a matter for society. However, of course, the protesters need support and protection, and this is being handled by NGOs and lawyers,” said the president.
She also mentioned that political leaders are continuing consultations and will soon announce further plans of action.
“The key is to convey the information to the Constitutional Court”
“The Constitutional Court and its judges now have a unique opportunity to resolve the deep political crisis in the country. We remain within constitutional frameworks, and the most important task today and tomorrow is to convey information to the Constitutional Court.
Political parties, society, activists, judges, and lawyers must focus on scheduling hearings and having the case reviewed by the Constitutional Court,” said Zourabichvili.
Currently, the Constitutional Court of Georgia is reviewing lawsuits from the president and lawmakers challenging the legitimacy of all 150 newly elected parliament members. According to the Constitution, until the court rules on these cases, the parliament has no right to convene its first session, vote on the deputies’ powers, or elect a government.
The parliament would only have the right to convene in two cases: if the Constitutional Court either refused to accept the lawsuits for review or considered them to be invalid. However, neither of these occurred. Therefore, by convening, the parliament placed itself outside the Constitution, which could be classified as usurpation of power, which is also prohibited by the Constitution.
The president will give an interview to the Public Broadcaster, which has been accused of carrying out government orders
“Society in Georgia deserves to have a worthy public broadcaster. For a long time, I was not given the opportunity to appear on this channel, with various reasons being cited. I want to announce that I am ready to give a special interview to the Public Broadcaster,” said Salome Zourabichvili.
Over the past two days, large-scale protests have taken place in front of the Public Broadcaster’s building, with demands to “stop disinforming the public at the government’s behest.” Protesters also called for the president to be given the opportunity to appear on air.
Soon after, the management of the Public Broadcaster confirmed that it was ready to provide air time for Salome Zourabichvili.
The president’s administration announced that her interview is scheduled to air live on December 3 or 4.
