Speaker: With foreign-backed Zourabichvili's 'legitimacy', coup plotters intended to install her in Presidential Palace and ignite 'revolution'

18:08, 06.10.2025

“The day after the failed coup and attempted storming of the Presidential Palace, ex-President Zourabichvili issued a statement criticising the assault on the Presidential Palace; not because breaking into the Presidential Palace is a crime, but because, in her view, by doing so the attackers had acknowledged Mikheil Kavelashvili’s presidency,” writes Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on social media.

According to Papuashvili, “political radicalism leads us to terrorism”.

“One might simply laugh at this delusional statement, but the reality behind it is far more dangerous than it appears at first glance. Political radicalism leads us to terror. This truth was confirmed on October 4 when a violent mob broke into the Presidential Palace. When police managed to repel the attackers and it became clear that the attempted break-in had been thwarted, those radical leaders who had prepared for, encouraged, and directed the coup quickly distanced themselves from the terrorist attack.

Among these leaders was ex-President Zourabichvili. Earlier that morning, she had stated that she would not vote in the elections and would participate in the assembly whose declared purpose was to topple Georgia’s government. We should also not forget that several weeks before the attack on the Presidential Palace, radicals presented the recent bloody events in Nepal as a source of inspiration for themselves and a warning to the government. The fact that the organisers of the coup d’état attempted to seize the Presidential Palace of Georgia is no coincidence. The role intended for Salome Zourabichvili and how she was being prepared for that role is obvious,” writes Shalva Papuashvili.

According to Papuashvili, following her departure from office, Salome Zourabichvili continued to use one of the presidential insignia, the presidential standard, illegally.

“After leaving office in December last year, Salome Zourabichvili continued the illegal use of one of the presidential insignia, the presidential standard, that is, the flag which only the sitting President has the right to use. Zourabichvili carries this symbol with her at all times, whether during media engagements or certain meetings. Particularly troubling is the use of this exclusive symbol of the President of Georgia by a self-proclaimed individual during meetings with certain foreign ambassadors. Naturally, the ambassadors’ silence regarding the illegitimate use of the presidential standard is unacceptable.

We have previously drawn attention to the fact that such indulgence serves to encourage radicals and extremists, albeit to no avail. Either they failed to recognise their role, even through their failure to notice this deliberate symbolic act, in encouraging radicalism, or they were purposefully complicit in it. The fact is that neither of these two versions reflects well upon them.

It was precisely this approach that emboldened extremists to do what we witnessed on October 4. This is the first instance in our history when radicals have targeted the Presidential Palace, against the backdrop of covert support from Zourabichvili. It appears that the months-long reinforcement by foreign officials of her image as Georgia’s ‘legitimate’ president was intended to serve its purpose: the coup plotters aimed to install Zourabichvili in the Presidential Palace and thereby ignite their ‘revolution’.

It is telling that not a single foreign patron of the radicals has, to this moment, condemned the terrorist attack on the Presidential Palace. However, condemnation alone is no longer sufficient. They too must share responsibility for what happened, because political intrigues orchestrated from abroad, amongst other factors, led radicals in Georgia to attempt a coup d’état,” writes Shalva Papuashvili.

By - Svetlana Alimova

Politics

Former President Salome Zourabichvili

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili