Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili arrived in parliament wearing a Ukrainian-themed facemask and was joined by Ukraine's chargé d'affaires, Andrii Kasianov, to make her annual state-of-the-union speech.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, a member of parliament and executive secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, stopped her speech claiming that the presence of the Ukrainian envoy was "awkward" and an indication of "lack of respect" for the parliament.

When Zourabichvili entered the stage, she began by giving an emotional account of the devastation Russia is causing in Ukraine. "The Ukrainian people's valiant resistance against Russian aggression can only inspire respect, solidarity, and support," she stated.

The party also called Zourabichvili's apparent failure to accept government-nominated candidates for multiple ambassadorships a "gross breach of the constitution." It stated it will go to the country's Constitutional Court "to obtain confirmation of President of Georgia's breach of the Constitution."

In a related event, the party suggested a constitutional change that would allow the majority to take more direct legal action against the president. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, a rule-of-law monitor, stated in an analysis of the case that the Constitutional Court may now only assess the constitutionality of the president's formal decrees, not her acts. This would be changed under the proposed amendment.

"The bill's introduction plainly reflects an attempt by Georgian Dream to settle scores with the president," the organisation claimed.

Before a legal battle with the president, Georgian Dream changed a key law

Georgian Dream parliamentarians are considering modifications to the statute regarding competence issues, ostensibly to aid the ruling party ahead of a legal battle with President Salome Zourabichvili before the Constitutional Court.

Currently, state entities have the power to file a constitutional claim over competencies against another entity under the Law on Constitutional Court, mainly if there are concerns about the constitutionality of normative acts adopted/issued by the defendant.

However, the GD intends to add a very unclear "activity or inaction" to the list of legal grounds for suing another state authority, according to proposed modifications revealed in the media on March 19.

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), a crucial local watchdog, accused the Georgian Dream party of attempting to change the law in order to fulfil their political ambitions.

"The Georgian Dream's introduction of this law shows that they are seeking political vengeance against the President," GYLA added.

On March 15, the Georgian Dream declared that the government will challenge Salome Zourabichvili in the Constitutional Court over her powers, claiming that the President had broken the law on multiple occasions, including recent unlawful trips to Paris and Brussels.

President Zourabichvili, according to the GD, has overstepped her authority and conducted foreign policy by circumventing the Georgian government. It further claimed that the President had declined to designate an ambassador or diplomatic envoy recommended by the administration on many occasions.