Ruling party highlights President’s “extreme political bias” while vowing to refrain from criticising her

The Political Council of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Monday said positions taken by President Salome Zourabichvili on domestic politics over the recent period were “characterised by extreme non-objectivity and political bias”, but noted the party’s stance was that it should “refrain on principle” from criticising her.

In its statement, which followed criticism between the governing party and the President on a number of issues -including her call for the Government to discuss imposing a visa requirement for Russian citizens earlier this month, and a controversy over official mandates for her meetings with Georgia's foreign partners last year - over the recent years, the party said it was “ready to provide as much assistance as possible” to the President’s office in order to “[help it] avoid a deepening confrontation with citizens”.

“During the last two years, Salome Zourabichvili has made statements that have been negatively perceived and assessed - first of all, by the part of the Georgian public that supported her in the 2018 Presidential elections through our support”, the statement said.

Although such perception and assessment [by the public] have a solid objective basis, we do not consider it appropriate to respond to Zourabichvili's political statements. As the ruling party, we have a special responsibility to protect the highest constitutional institutions of Georgia, including the institution of the President”, it also noted.

The party Council pointed out it had supported Zourabichvili's candidacy in the 2018 elections “precisely with the expectation” that she would “properly fulfil the function of a supra-party President” in the parliamentary governance system. 

Unfortunately, Zourabichvili has chosen another path, and in the last two years, has clearly shown her political bias in favour of the agenda of the radical opposition forces”, the release said.

The statement also stressed the President’s institution “must be protected” even when its “prestige” was “threatened by the incumbent President”. 

Although Zourabichvili's recent actions are characterised by extreme non-objectivity and political bias that is grossly contrary to the function of a supra-party constitutional official, our position is that we should refrain principally from criticising the Georgian President”, it said.

“It is our responsibility not to contribute to diminishing the institution of the President. For the same purpose, we consider ourselves compelled to prevent anyone from deepening the political confrontation [in the country]”, the comment added. 

The party also expressed its hope that Zourabichvili would “not enter into an even more intense confrontation with the majority of the Georgian public”. 

In conditions where the President is losing legitimacy in the eyes of the part of the public that supported her in the 2018 elections, and she is not gaining legitimacy in the part of the public that declared her a traitor in 2018, it is our duty to maintain even minimal legitimacy for Zourabichvili to exercise her Presidential powers during the remaining year and a half of her term of office”, the statement concluded.