Georgia’s Zurabishvili may resign in 2024 — ruling party chair
Pro-Ukrainian Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili may be removed from office in 2024, Irakli Kobakhidze, the leader of the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream political party, said on Dec. 7.
The "scenario is being actively discussed," he told Georgia Online, but did not specify who and how would remove the president from office, presumably referring to the opposition.
“There is a high probability that the president will resign, in fact, she will be removed, as [former PM Giorgi] Gakharia was once removed,” said Kobakhidze.
“Most likely, this could happen in August or September... We all know in advance what the opposition will base its post-election campaign on, and the radical opposition may need Salome Zurabishvili's support in this regard.”
An "alternative scenario" is also possible in which Zurabishvili leaves the presidency in August-September and runs in the parliamentary elections.
After an unsuccessful attempt to impeach the president in the parliament, the ruling party has been campaigning against the president, who has also been critical of Georgian Dream.
Zurabishvili began a tour of Europe on Aug. 31, where she planned to meet with various leaders to seek support for Georgia's bid for EU candidate status. Zurabishvili said that she wanted to visit Ukraine on Independence Day on Aug. 24, but that her government did not allow her to do so. "Legally and politically justified," Kobakhidze described blocking the visit.
The president herself has criticized the Georgian government for its rapprochement with Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Georgia is a parliamentary republic. According to the Georgian constitution, the president represents the country in foreign affairs only with the consent of the government.
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