Georgian President “deliberately violated” constitution, impeachment motion should be “viewed with less emotion” - Parliament Speaker
Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said the President had departed for meetings abroad after the Government had rejected her requests to have the trips approved. Photo: Shalva Papuashvili’s Facebook
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Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday accused the country’s President Salome Zourabichvili of having “deliberately violated” the constitution through her departure on official visits abroad without the Government's consent, and said the impeachment procedure initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party against her should be viewed “more rationally and with less emotion”.
In his press comments, the Parliamentary official said the President had departed for meetings with European officials - which her office said would be aimed to support Georgia’s obtaining of the European Union membership candidate status later this year - after the Government had rejected her requests to have the trips approved.
Papuashvili alleged Zourabichvili’s departure for the meetings despite the Government’s refusal to grant them had been a “deliberate move” and an “intrusion” into the competences of executive power.
“The country’s constitution clearly defines that it is the Government who is authorised to implement domestic and foreign policies”, Papuashvili said, noting “all powers” inside Georgia should act “unanimously” on matters of Georgia’s EU integration “instead of violating” the constitution.
Speaking about the forthcoming procedures in the impeachment motion, Papuashvili said at least 50 MPs from the ruling party would address the country’s Constitutional Court in “shortest terms possible” to discuss the issue and present its conclusion on whether the President had violated the constitution through her foreign visits in a month’s time.
He also acknowledged that if the Court established a violation, the ruling party would require at least 100 votes in the 150-member Parliament to dismiss the President, which it does not have.
Papuashvili alleged the United National Movement - the largest opposition group in the Parliament which he claimed had “always acted against the law and the constitution” - was unlikely to accept the impeachment.
He also dismissed the opposition’s allegations that the Government was “blocking” the President’s trips to “hamper the country’s EU integration” by saying “[the claim on] ‘blocking’ would imply that the institution has some right that is being taken away”.
The impeachment procedure against Zourabichvili was announced on Friday by Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, who said the motion had been initiated over her “gross violation” of the constitution.
The comments followed a statement by the Georgian Government Administration on Wednesday, which said the Government had rejected requests by Zourabichvili’s office for approval of her official visits to Germany, Ukraine, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Israel.
However, the President on Thursday departed for a visit to Germany anyway, as her Administration said she was starting a series of meetings with European leaders to garner support for Georgia to be granted the EU membership candidate status.
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on Friday had a meeting with Zourabichvili, where the leaders discussed EU-Georgia relations as well as broader developments in the region.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday highlighted “the need to respect” the country’s constitution in what he called its “clear violation” by President Salome Zourabichvili through her departure on an official visit abroad without the Government’s authorisation.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said the Political Council of the party had decided to initiate an impeachment procedure against President Salome Zourabichvili over her “gross violation” of the constitution through her departure on an official visit abroad without the Government’s authorisation.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday accused the country’s President Salome Zourabichvili of “gross violation” of the constitution through her departure on an official visit abroad without Government authorisation.
The Georgian Government Administration on Wednesday highlighted the country’s constitution designated its foreign policy conduct to the Government, after it rejected requests by the office of President Salome Zourabichvili for approving her visits to a number of countries.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said the decision of the ruling Georgian Dream party to initiate an impeachment procedure against President Salome Zourabichvili over her alleged violation of the constitution through her departure on an official visit abroad without the Government’s authorisation was “completely justified”.
The work for gaining the European Union membership candidate status for Georgia, the country’s future and regional matters were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Thursday said the series of foreign visits to European cities aimed to fulfil her “highest and foremost” obligation as President - to promote the country's European integration.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said the decision of the ruling Georgian Dream party to launch impeachment proceedings against President Salome Zourabichvili this week over her alleged violation of the constitution through her departure on an official visit abroad without the Government’s authorisation was “not a political issue”.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Monday said the impeachment procedure against the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, launched by the Government last week over her alleged violation of the constitution through her departure on an official visit abroad without the Government’s authorisation, was the “only way” to respond to "violations of specific articles of the constitution".
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Tuesday said the ruling team was “forced” to initiate the impeachment procedure against the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili over her alleged violation of the constitution through her departure on an official visit abroad without the Government’s authorisation.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday said “the only right and European way out” for the country’s President Salome Zourabichvili “is to admit the violation of the constitution and vow that it will not happen again”.