Georgian Constitutional Court Authorizes President Zurabishvili Impeachment

The Constitutional Court of Georgia ruled that President Salome Zurabishvili violated the law by travelling abroad against the government’s ban. The CC ruling would allow impeachment proceedings to begin, the court’s chairman, Merab Turava, said. The CC decision is to be approved by the Parliament, which requires the votes of 100 MPs. The parliamentary majority has 84 votes out of 150. If the Parliament approves the decision, the President will be considered removed from office by impeachment. Zurabishvili’s resignation was initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party. “Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on 31 August, 1 and 6 September 2023 during her working visits exercised representative powers in the sphere of foreign policy without the consent of the government, thus violating the Constitution,” Turava says. The impeachment trial against the President started at the Constitutional Court of Georgia on 3 October. Salome Zurabishvili boycotted the CC session, but sent her lawyers to Batumi. She violated the country’s Constitution by visiting several countries, including Germany and France, in August and September without the government’s consent, as required by Art. 52 of the Constitution.