Salome Zourabichvili, in essence, has swapped the legitimacy of over a million voters for the legitimacy of a few members of the United National Movement, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists, Papuashvili emphasized the recent impeachment process and its outcome, highlighting that Zourabichvili now faces a loss of trust from the parliamentary majority and the majority of Georgia’s population.

Papuashvili underscored that the impeachment process has reached the expected outcome, confirming two key points made at its initiation.

“Firstly, the legal ruling from the Constitutional Court confirmed Zourabichvili has violated the constitution, specifically, infringing upon the government’s exclusive authority in foreign policy. Secondly, the parliamentary decision represented a political verdict expressing the lack of confidence in Zourabichvili from the parliamentary majority and the majority of the population.

Salome Zourabichvili has, in essence, swapped the legitimacy of over a million voters for a few members of the United National Movement; since yesterday, we have the president elected by the UNM,” said Shalva Papuashvili.

According to Papuashvili, any official visit by the president requires government permission. After October 16, partners should recognize that such visits violate Georgia’s constitution, and facilitating such violations should be avoided. He urged international partners not to encourage this constitutional breach.

“Demonstrating respect for Georgia involves adhering to the country’s constitution. If the constitution mandates government approval for presidential visits, international partners should acknowledge and respect that requirement,” he declared.

Responding to questions about Zourabichvili’s potential visits without government consent, Papuashvili stated that after the Constitutional Court’s conclusion, any trip without authorization is deemed personal, and no budget funds should be allocated.

“I urge her not to open Pandora’s box of disobedience to the Constitution,” the Speaker added.