TBILISI (Reuters) – Georgia’s ruling party said on Friday that it would begin impeachment proceedings against the president due to her visits to the European Union which were made against the will of the government, Georgian news agency Interpress reported.
Interpress cited Georgian Dream party leader Irakli Kobakhidze as saying that President Salome Zourabichvili had “flagrantly violated” the country’s constitution, and that the party would begin impeachment proceedings.
Kobakhidze accepted that impeachment would be unlikely to succeed, as Georgian Dream, which has a simple majority in parliament, would need to attract votes from opposition in order for it to pass.
Zourabichvili, a former French diplomat of Georgian descent, was elected to Georgia’s mostly ceremonial presidency in 2018 with Georgian Dream’s backing.
She has since broken with the party, which she has repeatedly accused of being pro-Russian and insufficiently committed to Georgia joining the European Union and NATO. Georgian Dream says it is committed to joining both blocs.
In March, Zourabichvili said she would veto a controversial law against “foreign agents” backed by the Georgian government, and which critics of Georgian Dream said was inspired by Russian laws that have been used to crush dissent.
The European Union, which last year declined to give Georgia candidate status, has repeatedly warned that deepening authoritarianism in Georgia could derail the country’s EU bid.
(Reporting by Felix Light)
