Georgian president refuses to appoint ex-envoy to US as permanent representative to UN

Georgian Cabinet's appeal to the Constitutional Court on June 6 followed the refusal of President Salome Zourabichvili to appoint former Ambassador to the United States David Bakradze as Permanent Representative of Georgia to the UN instead of Kakha Imnadze, Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters, Report informs via TASS.

“The Georgian Government has proposed three solutions to the president. One concerned the appointment of David Bakradze as a permanent representative to the UN, to which the president refused for unknown reasons. The transfer of the current permanent representative Kakha Imnadze to Canada was also proposed. This, too, was met with a refusal,” Kobakhidze said.

He added that Imnadze’s powers expire in June 2022 anyway.

The head of the administration of the Government of Georgia, Revaz Javelidze, said on Monday that the Cabinet of Ministers had filed a lawsuit against the president with the Constitutional Court with a request to clarify the rights and powers between the branches of power. According to the Cabinet of Ministers, the appointment of ambassadors and their dismissal are not within the constitutional powers of the President of Georgia.

Disputes between the ruling party and the president began after Zourabichvili, delivering her annual address to parliament in March, said she had privately visited several European countries without government approval. The ruling party accused the president of violating the constitution, and later the government added that the president opposed the appointment of some ambassadors. The diplomats were not named.

According to the constitution, Georgia is a parliamentary republic. The parliament determines the main directions of foreign and domestic policy, and their implementation is carried out by the government headed by the prime minister.