Georgian Dream Accuses Zourabichvili of Supporting Opposition
On May 29, the governing Georgian Dream party accused President Zourabichvili of displaying political bias in favor of the agenda of opposition forces.
According to a statement by the ruling party, Salome Zourabichvili was backed in the 2018 presidential elections on the belief that she would properly perform the function of a non-partisan president in the parliamentary system of government. The Georgian Dream declared that they believed a non-partisan woman, a descendant of the famous figures of the First Republic of Georgia, would be the best candidate for this mission. The ruling party also emphasized that during the election of the president, the leadership of Georgian Dream clearly explained to Salome Zourabichvili that despite their support in the elections, she should have no obligation to them because the goal of the ruling party was to properly establish the non-partisan institution of the president of Georgia in the parliamentary system of government.
According to their statement, the attitude of the Georgian Dream is to refrain from criticizing President Zourabichvili as a matter of principle in order to prevent the deterioration of the institution of the presidency, even though he chose a different path. "The highest constitutional institutions of Georgia, including the institution of the President of Georgia, are under particular obligation to us as the ruling party," it said.
The ruling party stated, "We must preserve Mrs. Salome Zourabichvili's minimal legitimacy to exercise her presidential powers during the remaining year and a half of her term, in the circumstances when the President of Georgia loses legitimacy in the eyes of the part of society that supported her in the 2018 elections, and does not gain legitimacy in the part of society that declared her a traitor and a resident in 2018." Finally, Georgian Dream expressed the wish that Salome Zourabichvili would refrain from engaging in a more heated debate with the bulk of Georgian society. "To avoid escalating the conflict with the populace, the Georgian Dream is prepared to offer the president of Georgia the most help possible," it concluded.