Constitutional Court Chair calls for “restraint in assessment” over President’s impeachment

Merab Turava, the Chair of the Constitutional Court of Georgia, on Thursday urged political actors, “particular organisations” and individuals to refrain from making “preliminary assessments” on the Court’s forthcoming decision over the ongoing impeachment procedures against President Salome Zourabichvili. 

In his press comments, the judge claimed assessments made on domestic TV channels and social media “did not seem correct” and pointed to a “poor legal culture”. 

He noted parties involved in the process would be given the opportunity during today’s hearing to ask each other questions, expressing hope the process would not “turn into a political exchange” and have a legal nature only. 

Turava stressed it was the first case for the Court to be considering impeachment of a sitting President, with the decision setting a precedent for the future. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party last month initiated impeachment procedures against the President for her recent official visits to Europe, which the party said had taken place without the Government's authorisation and were thus in violation of the country’s main law. 

The Constitutional Court launched its consideration of the case earlier this week and is expected to deliver the conclusion this month. 

If the Court approves the allegations, the party will need at least 100 votes in the 150-member Parliament to dismiss Zourabichvili. The Parliament has over 140 active MPs, with more than 80 of them representing the ruling power. 

The President has rejected the allegations and claimed her visits aimed at helping her country to obtain the European Union membership candidate status later this year, “in line with the Constitution”, which mandates the country’s authorities to act for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration.