Chairman of Georgian Dream Attributes President Zourabichvili's 2018 Support to 'Gender' and 'Background' During Impeachment Proceedings
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, October 5, 2023
During the impeachment proceedings of the president in the Constitutional Court, Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the Georgian Dream, stated that the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili received support in 2018 due to her gender and background.
According to Kobakhidze, the President of Georgia's mandate does not involve implementing domestic and foreign policies; instead, the role is that of a symbolic representative of the state. He further expressed the opinion that Zourabichvili does not 'deserve' to hold the presidency.
"In 2018, when we expressed our support for Mrs. Salome Zourabichvili, we did so based on specific criteria. What was the criterion? If we had faith in the president's ability to successfully implement foreign and domestic policies we would have supported not the presidential position, but the position of the prime minister.
This falls within the prerogative of the Prime Minister. We supported her for the role of president because she held a limited mandate. The criteria were also publicly stated: she was a representative of the diaspora, a descendant of great ancestors, and had European life experience, among other factors.
We did not express our support for the president, and the people did not vote, expecting her to successfully implement the country's domestic and foreign policy but they supported her based on the mandate outlined in the constitution. Today, the president is attempting to exceed this mandate.
The important factor is not my perception of this mandate, but rather the mandate the constitution provides. You were elected by the people not to intervene in domestic and foreign policy, which the president is attempting today, but to primarily serve as a symbolic representative of the state. While your competencies are not solely symbolic, your mandate does not include the implementation of domestic and foreign policy," Kobakhidze stated.
