Georgian PM: Zourabichvili retains presidency only due to opposition support

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has announced that after violating the constitution, Salome Zourabichvili has essentially lost her status as president of Georgia.

"She is not the president. Salome Zourabichvili is not the president of Georgia. She herself acknowledged the legitimacy of the Constitutional Court when she filed a lawsuit with it. The Constitutional Court determined that Zourabichvili is an illegitimate president—a president who violated the constitution. The only reason Zourabichvili formally retains the title of president is due to the support of United National Movement opposition party," Kobakhidze stated during a briefing.

He further noted that after the opposition failed to vote for Zourabichvili's impeachment in parliament, she became the president of the National Movement and merely a puppet of the National Movement, rather than the president of Georgia. In 2023, Zourabichvili made several foreign visits without the prime minister’s approval.

According to the constitution, the president of Georgia is permitted to perform representative functions in foreign policy only with the consent of the prime minister. As a result, the "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia" ruling party petitioned the Constitutional Court to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president.  

The Constitutional Court supported the motion to remove Zourabichvili from office, but the ruling party lacked the necessary votes in parliament to declare impeachment (at least 100 out of 150 votes). The opposition did not support Zourabichvili's impeachment.  

Earlier, Zourabichvili filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court challenging the recently enacted parliamentary law on "Transparency of Foreign Influence." Similar lawsuits were also filed by opposition groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and media outlets. The court held three sessions in late August to hear the positions of the parties involved.  

The plaintiffs argue that the law is inconsistent with Article 78 of the Constitution, which mandates that the authorities must take all necessary measures to integrate Georgia into the EU and NATO. They also requested that the  implementation of the law must be suspended until the court reaches a final decision.