Ruling party accuses president of “political bias”, claims she “contradicts” public views

The ruling Georgian Dream party on Monday accused president Salome Zourabichvili of “political bias in favor of the radical wing” of the domestic opposition, and expressed hopes she would not enter into “more severe confrontation with the majority of the country’s population”. 

 

The statement by the political council of the GD came following the president’s May 26 Independence Day speech, in which she slammed the government’s “anti-western” stance and its approach to Russia and Ukraine. 

 

The GD said in 2018 it supported Zourabichvili as the country’s fifth president with the expectation “she would properly fulfill the function of an unbiased president in the parliamentary governance system”. 

 

“Over the past two years, the president has been making statements more and more often, which are perceived and evaluated negatively, first of all, by that part of the Georgian society, which, based on our call, supported her in the 2018 presidential elections”, the GD said. 

 

It noted that despite the president’s statements, the ruling party had the responsibility to protect the presidential institute and “preserve Zourabichvili in office” without responding to her criticism. 

 

“We hope Zourabichvili will not enter into an even more intense confrontation with the majority of Georgian society”, the party said. 

 

In her comments the president slammed the government’s acceptance of direct Russia-Georgia flights following the Kremlin’s move on May 10 to lift travel and visa restrictions with Georgia amid its conflict with Ukraine, as well as the authorities’ “actions to demonize the west in the public eye and undermine the Georgian youth’s European future”.