MOSCOW

The ruling Georgian party on Friday began impeachment proceedings against President Salome Zourabichvili, according to the party's leader Irakli Kobakhidze.

Kobakhidze, the head of the Georgian Dream political party, claimed at a press briefing in Tbilisi that Zourabichvili "grossly violated the constitution" when she set off on a trip to Europe despite the government's refusal.

The politician pointed out that according to the constitution, the president can exercise representative functions in foreign policy only with the consent of the government.

The constitution of Georgia, as Kobakhidze stressed, provides for only one valid legal mechanism in case of its violation – impeachment.

"To bring the impeachment to an end, the support of 100 parliamentarians is required, and, accordingly, without the votes of the radical opposition, it has no prospect of execution. However, despite this, at a meeting of the political council of the party, we decided to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president," he said.

On Thursday, Zourabichvili met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. She is scheduled to meet with the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, in Brussels, on Friday

The Georgian government stated that it had previously denied Zourabichvili in writing her planned trips to various countries from August to December.

The Georgian president says her trip is aimed at strengthening the country's position on the issue of getting the EU candidate country.

Kobakhidze argued that Zourabichvili is trying to earn political points, knowing that Georgia has a high chance of obtaining the status of a candidate​​​​​​​.