The illegitimate parliament is hastily pushing through legislative amendments, which would strip Salome Zourabichvili of her right to state protection for one year after the end of her presidential term.
News
Trending stories
- 1 Protests Erupt in Abkhazia Over Russia-Favored Law, Opposition Members Arrested
- 2 Marauding Kadyrovites Among Masked Raiders in Tbilisi - Editor's Column
- 3 President’s Lawsuit on Elections Registered by Constitutional Court
- 4 Gakharia Urges Ambassadors Not to Attend Parliament's First Session
- 5 Chorchana Checkpoint, Drones, and Cigarette Smuggling Discussed During the Meeting in Ergneti
- 6 Investigation Launched into Obstruction of Journalists at Rallies
One of the authors of the bill, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, stated at today's session of the Legal Affairs Committee that the state should not be obligated to incur additional expenses or create special conditions for the protection of someone who has been known to violate the Constitution.
The Legal Affairs Committee unanimously supported the bill on the first reading. The Georgian Dream intends to adopt the amendments by the end of this week.
According to the current version of the Law on the Special State Protection Service, the Prime Minister of Georgia is provided with personal protection from the date of his appointment, and the President and the Chairman of Parliament from the date of their election to office. This protection is maintained for one year after the expiration of their term, or after their term ends, provided that the termination is not the result of a violation of the Constitution or the commission of a crime. For the termination of powers due to a violation of the Constitution to take effect, in addition to the Constitutional Court's decision, a decision must be adopted by Parliament during a plenary session.
The provision in the current law is problematic for the Georgian Dream, as it allows Salome Zourabichvili to maintain protection. In 2023, following a constitutional complaint from the Georgian Dream, the Constitutional Court ruled 6 to 3 that Zurabishvili violated the Constitution by meeting with EU leaders without the government's consent. The party failed to gather the 100 votes needed in Parliament to impeach the president early.
The presidential term of the fifth President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, will expire at the end of the year. She will be the last president to be directly elected by universal suffrage. The sixth president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, will be elected for a five-year term by a 300-member electoral college.
