Statement on impeachment of Georgian president signed by 80 MPs

80 MPs of Georgia’s parliamentary majority have signed a statement on impeachment of President Salome Zurabishvili, which will be attached to materials to be sent to the Constitutional Court.

According to the Chairman of the Committee on Procedures and Regulations Irakli Kadagishvili, the authenticity of signatures of all eighty MPs on the submission on the right to initiate the issue of “removal of the President from office by impeachment” was established.

Parliamentary Secretary to the President Giorgi Mskhiladze says that the ruling Georgian Dream party’s appeal to the Constitutional Court to impeach Salome Zurabishvili “contradicts Georgia’s historic choice to become a member of the European Union.” According to him, “those who are in favor of impeachment are against European integration.”

The president’s parliamentary secretary made this statement in the legislature, where the committee on procedural issues and rules confirmed the authenticity of the signatures.

“I want to tell you that from today the process of lustration has begun, started with these very signatures, which contradicts the historical choice of our country to become a full member of the European family of the European Union. The lustration of those who will support this process has begun.

“Georgian Dream and the majority will have to answer why they seem to crry out, both in word and in deed, the will of the highest officials of Russia, the occupier of our country, who is satisfied with everything except the activities of the President of Georgia. Everything is clear, whoever wants to see will see, whoever wants to understand will understand.”

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili called on Mskhiladze to reel it in and said that in his opinion Mskhiladze should “stay within his competence”.

“It is important that the parliamentary secretary of the president acts within his authority and competence, and I do not think that such assessments of members of parliament elected by the people of Georgia are appropriate, so I urge him to act appropriately.”

Impeachment procedures require the approval of 100 members of parliament, which the ruling team does not have. Nevertheless, it is launching these procedures anyway.

Impeachment procedures require the approval of 100 members of parliament, which the ruling team does not have. Nevertheless, it is launching these procedures anyway.

According to the impeachment statement, “the President violated subparagraph “A” of paragraph 1 of Article 52 of the Constitution of Georgia, which implies the right of the President, with the consent of the government, to exercise representative powers in foreign relations, negotiate with other states and international organizations, conclude international agreements, receive accreditation of ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives of other states and international organizations.”

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The ruling Georgian Dream party has announced that it is launching impeachment proceedings against the Georgian president. This was announced by party chairman Irakli Kobakhidze at a briefing. According to him, the impeachment procedure will begin in any case, although the opposition support in the Parliament is necessary for its realization.

In addition, according to Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream will appeal to the Constitutional Court regarding the president’s violation of the constitution.

The Georgian presidential administration issued a statement on August 30, according to which President Salome Zurabishvili starts meetings with European leaders in support of granting Georgia the status of an EU candidate country.

The Georgian government soon reacted to Salome Zurabishvili’s planned visit to Germany and explained that the president had been denied a visit to Ukraine as well as Germany. Zurabishvili was also denied meetings scheduled in Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Israel.

However, the Georgian president embarked on a European tour anyway. Zurabishvili traveled to Germany and met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier there and later also held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.