Georgia’s ruling party starts impeachment against President Zurabishvili

The ruling Georgian Dream party intends to once again begin the impeachment procedure against President Salome Zurabishvili, parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili told journalists, Azernews reports, via the Georgian media.

The speaker of Georgia’s parliament said on Monday that ruling party lawmakers would move to impeach the pro-Western president ahead of a parliamentary election on October 26.

In a press briefing, Shalva Papuashvili said the charges against President Salome Zourabichvili concerned visits overseas that he said had not been authorised by the government, the same accusations levelled in the previous impeachment last year.

The ruling Georgian Dream party and its allies currently lack sufficient votes in parliament to impeach Zourabichvili, and Papuashvili said he hoped the measure would be passed after the election by a new parliament.