Ruling party head: Zourabichvili “only nominally” remaining a President

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Sunday said the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili “only nominally” represented her position after the voting on her impeachment at the Parliament following the Constitutional Court’s ruling that she had violated the Constitution through holding foreign visits without the Government’s authorisation. 

Georgian Dream on Wednesday fell short of votes for Zourabichvili’s impeachment in the Parliament after 86 MPs voted for her dismissal instead of the mandatory 100.

In his remarks Kobakhidze said the parliamentary majority would not stand to welcome Zourabichvili on her entering the Parliament sessions hall, adding “this will not be an action directed against the rules of ethics”.

Salome Zourabichvili is an official who violated the Constitution. Of course, it will be difficult for us to perform the rituals that we performed before. Such as, for example, standing up during her entrance into the Parliament session hall and so on”, Kobakhidze said.

“Due to the fact that she remains to be only a President of the [opposition] United National Movement [party], such rituals will no longer be performed on our part”, the ruling party head concluded.

The ruling party last month initiated the impeachment procedures against the President after she launched the visits in defiance of the Government’s refusal to grant authorisation for them.