The News in Brief
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Prepared by Messenger Staff
Irakli Kobakhidze Sees Impeachment as a Chance to 'Expose' President Zourabichvili's Ties to the 'Radical' Opposition
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has stated that the primary objective of initiating the impeachment procedure is to have the Constitutional Court verify a clear violation of the Constitution by the President. Kobakhidze views the impeachment process as an opportunity to unveil the connection between President Zourabichvili and the 'radical' opposition.
"The goal is simple: the Constitutional Court to affirm, through its conclusion, the blatant violation of the Constitution by the President.
We've stated from the outset that there aren't 100 votes in parliament. The radical opposition, which acts in line with Salome Zourabichvili and shares a common agenda, will not support the impeachment of someone they've branded a traitor. They share a common agenda and a common patron. So, the objective isn't to secure 100 votes. The objective is for the Constitutional Court to officially determine the violation of Georgia's Constitution within the impeachment procedure.
Once that happens, everything will become clear. The alliance between Salome Zourabichvili and the radical opposition will be exposed. Once again, the radical opposition will demonstrate that it's a political force that disregards the Constitution. Remember how they violated the Constitution before 2012, and now they're doing it from the opposition," Kobakhidze said.
Daniel Fried: Georgia Should Present a Pro-European Image Regardless of Which Political Party Is in Power
Former US Assistant Secretary of State, Daniel Fried, stated that he does not comprehend the reasons behind the impeachment of President Salome Zourabichvili.
Fried expressed his belief that Georgia should present a pro-European image to the world, regardless of which political party is in power. He specifically mentioned President Zourabichvili as someone he has known for a long time and noted her consistent support for Georgia's European future.
Daniel Friend stated that he doesn't understand the basis for the impeachment but he emphasized that his primary concern is Georgia's efforts to establish itself as a European country.
He concluded by stating that the more Georgia does to make its case for European integration, the better it will be for everyone.
"The face that Georgia presents to the world should be, at least in my view, a pro-European face, no matter which party is in control. Now President Zourabichvili is someone I've known for many years and she has been a strong, consistent advocate of Georgia's European future. She's pushing that. And, I don't understand the basis for the impeachment, but that's not my business. The fact is the more Georgia does to build a case for itself as a European country, the better life we all will have," Fried stated.
Irakli Kobakhidze Sees Impeachment as a Chance to 'Expose' President Zourabichvili's Ties to the 'Radical' Opposition
"The goal is simple: the Constitutional Court to affirm, through its conclusion, the blatant violation of the Constitution by the President.
We've stated from the outset that there aren't 100 votes in parliament. The radical opposition, which acts in line with Salome Zourabichvili and shares a common agenda, will not support the impeachment of someone they've branded a traitor. They share a common agenda and a common patron. So, the objective isn't to secure 100 votes. The objective is for the Constitutional Court to officially determine the violation of Georgia's Constitution within the impeachment procedure.
Once that happens, everything will become clear. The alliance between Salome Zourabichvili and the radical opposition will be exposed. Once again, the radical opposition will demonstrate that it's a political force that disregards the Constitution. Remember how they violated the Constitution before 2012, and now they're doing it from the opposition," Kobakhidze said.
Daniel Fried: Georgia Should Present a Pro-European Image Regardless of Which Political Party Is in Power
Fried expressed his belief that Georgia should present a pro-European image to the world, regardless of which political party is in power. He specifically mentioned President Zourabichvili as someone he has known for a long time and noted her consistent support for Georgia's European future.
Daniel Friend stated that he doesn't understand the basis for the impeachment but he emphasized that his primary concern is Georgia's efforts to establish itself as a European country.
He concluded by stating that the more Georgia does to make its case for European integration, the better it will be for everyone.
"The face that Georgia presents to the world should be, at least in my view, a pro-European face, no matter which party is in control. Now President Zourabichvili is someone I've known for many years and she has been a strong, consistent advocate of Georgia's European future. She's pushing that. And, I don't understand the basis for the impeachment, but that's not my business. The fact is the more Georgia does to build a case for itself as a European country, the better life we all will have," Fried stated.