The representative of the President of Georgia, Maia Kopaleishvili said on Tuesday that "the content of the ongoing impeachment against President Salome Zurabishviliis clearly political."

According to Kopaleishvili, "the submission of the opposing side is unfounded and Georgian Dream started the process of impeachment of the President completely without grounds."

"Naturally, the responsibility of the court is very great, because it may become a weapon of the political struggle of the majority of the Parliament against the President of Georgia. [...] The court should not exceed the order and values established by the Constitution and should not fall under the political influence of the Parliament, even unintentionally. We are all convinced that the submission presented by the political majority of the Parliament is unsubstantiated, does not meet the impeachment requirements established by the Organic Law on the Constitutional Court of Georgia, and despite my respect for you, dear court, I must inform you that the submission should not have been accepted for consideration," Kopaleishvili said.

Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili’s impeachment hearing is underway at the Constitutional Court. The subject of discussion at the court session is the violation by the President of Georgia of Article 52 Paragraph A of the Constitution of Georgia, which stipulates that the President of Georgia may exercise representative powers in foreign relations and negotiate with other states and international organizations only with the consent of the Government.

The President does not attend the hearing. She is represented by Tamar Chugoshvili, a former member of parliament from the Georgian Dream list, and Maya Kopaleishvili, a former judge of the Constitutional Court.

Four MPs from “Georgian Dream” are present at the hearing, including the chairman of the party, Irakli Kobakhidze, as well as Anri Okhanashvili, Tengiz Sharmanashvili and Giorgi Kakhiani.

The Constitutional Court has a one-month deadline to prepare its opinion. In case of a positive conclusion by the court, 100 votes in parliament are needed for impeachment. Georgia’s parliament has 150 deputies, with the ruling Georgian Dream holding 84 seats in its current composition.