Metamorphoses of the Saakashists: “Russian agent” became “European hope”
No miracle happened. The impeachment of the president in the Georgian parliament failed. Salome Zurabishvili remains in her post.
However, “from today, over the next year,” according to the chairman of the Georgian Dream party, Irakli Kobakhidze, she “will only formally be the president of Georgia,” but in reality she will remain the de facto leader of the Saakashist opposition force “National Movement.”
The fact is that it was the UNM, which boycotted yesterday’s parliamentary meeting in its entirety for reasons of excluding the possibility of collusion between individual deputies and the ruling party, that saved Zurabishvili from the verdict of the majority of people’s deputies.
86 deputies voted for impeachment. Moreover, according to the rules of the Georgian parliament, for impeachment to take place, it must be supported by two-thirds of the parliamentary corps (100 votes), otherwise the issue of removing the head of state from office is considered dropped.
As is known, the reason for impeachment was Zurabishvili’s numerous foreign visits without the consent of the government, thereby violating the provisions of the Constitution on the powers of the president.
The main reason for the initiation of impeachment by the ruling force was, according to its leaders, the president’s speeches against the interests of the country. This refers to Zurabishvili's statements last year that Georgia did not deserve EU candidate status, and that the reforms envisaged by European recommendations were being implemented only formally.
However, during her speech in parliament, the president responded to the accusations brought by the party in power that it did not violate the Constitution, and the ruling party would not be able to provide facts confirming its actions to sabotage the European path of the Georgian state.
According to Zurabishvili, Georgian society knows well what she “was able to do within the framework of narrow rights to increase respect and trust in our country and raise cooperation with our European partners to another level.”
The President of Georgia emphasized that she has only one plan - the country obtaining EU candidate status at the end of the year.
“On the way to this goal, no one and nothing can stop me,” Zurabishvili said.
On the opposition flank of the attitude towards Zurabishvili, from the moment of her ascension to the political Olympus until the unsuccessful attempt to overthrow her by the same political force that itself imposed her as president on Georgian society, very strange metamorphoses took place.
After all, as the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Irakli Kobakhidze, recalls, at one time the National Movement called Salome Zurabishvili an agent, resident and spy.
“As you know, this status does not change, if someone was a spy, agent and resident, he always remains a spy, agent and resident, but today it is this collective “National Movement” that declares Salome Zurabishvili the most pro-European leader of Georgian politics. “This really shows how far this alliance has come,” said the leader of the ruling party.”
Judging by the reaction of a number of European parliamentarians to the processes related to the impeachment of President Zurabishvili, it should be assumed that the above-mentioned alliance is somewhat broader. Thus, members of the European Parliament Andrius Kubilius, Anna Fotyga, Rasa Juknevičienė, and Miriam Lexman in a joint letter called on their Georgian colleagues not to support the impeachment of the president.
They argue that by launching the impeachment process, the ruling party and government violated the Constitution of Georgia and European principles of constitutional democracy, preventing the president from fulfilling his duties. Doubting the sincerity of the Georgian authorities’ desire to join the EU, MEPs accused them of sabotaging the country’s chances “of obtaining EU candidate status at the end of the year.”
And another European parliamentarian, Viola von Cramon, in her microblog congratulated the president on the results of the parliamentary meeting and did not fail to note that “Georgia’s reputation has suffered greatly,” and that now it is necessary to redouble efforts for Georgia to become a candidate for the EU in December.
It should be noted that the forces opposed to the country’s authorities are in solidarity that by starting the impeachment of the president shortly before the issue of granting candidate status for EU membership was raised, the ruling force, contrary to the aspirations of the people of Georgia, is hindering the country’s European future.
At a plenary session of the Georgian Parliament, opposition MP Khatia Dekanoidze reminded Georgian parliamentarians of a statement by the head of European diplomacy, Joseppe, who believes that impeachment threatens “an increase in counterproductive polarization.” After all, Borrell, during a recent surprise visit to Georgia, demanded from the authorities:
“All institutions in the country must work together to support the European path.”
Hence, the opposition deputy concludes that “the impeachment of the president is a bad message from Georgia that can reach Europe.”
However, news of the failure of impeachment has already reached Europe. According to the voting results, Salome Zurabishvili remains as head of state. However, this result of the parliamentary meeting was predictable. But why the party in power started the impeachment procedure, knowing its outcome in advance, remains a mystery to the Georgian public.
Was the ruling force really impatient to hear barbs directed at them following the voting results? So they didn’t have to wait long. Towards the evening, the leader of the Agmashenebeli Strategy party, Giorgi Vashadze, distinguished himself with a cynical statement:
“Already 2:0 is not in Kobakhidze’s favor! The first was when he “managed” to pass the “Russian law” this year, and now this is the second. The third will be to kick out this Russian dark force through elections. As for the rest, they also fail to show that Zurabishvili will create a separate center of political gravity...”
The opinion about the creation of an alternative political center in the country, which could be headed by the current president, was also voiced by political scientist Gia Khukhashvili. According to him, “there is a great need for alternative political centers that will be equally distanced from the two main forces - the United National Movement and the Georgian Dream.”
“People don't like both options. And Salome Zurabishvili, in the political sense, is now in “chocolate,” the political scientist thinks.
It is not so easy for an ordinary citizen of Georgia to understand the essence of the gradations of the foreign policy course of two already fed up political forces and what, from this point of view, is the rationale for creating an alternative political center if the probable leader of the latter, during the “anti-European impeachment”, turns to European partners with a request not to abandon Georgia, since “we cannot allow of Russia strengthen its influence in this region."
However, time will undoubtedly answer the question: is Mrs. Zurabishvili now in political chocolate or is she mired in some completely different substance...
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