"I experienced firsthand the transformation of the Constitutional Court into an instrument of persecution when impeachment proceedings were initiated against me," Salome Zourabichvili, the fifth President of Georgia, stated during a Facebook Live session in response to a question about the Constitutional Court.

She further remarked that, in effect, there is no Constitutional Court in the country; if there were, the constitutional order would be upheld.

“I experienced the transformation of the Constitutional Court into an instrument of persecution firsthand when impeachment proceedings were initiated against me. At that time, the Constitutional Court still included the three judges who expressed a dissenting opinion. However, for a long time now, the Constitutional Court has departed from the role it ought to truly fulfill.

If we had a genuine Constitutional Court, we would have a functioning judiciary, and, more broadly, human rights and the country’s constitutional order would have been protected—neither of which is the case today,” stated Zourabichvili.

The fifth President also assessed the ruling team’s decision regarding the potential banning of opposition parties. She noted that this move signals that Georgian Dream intends to introduce yet another repressive law; otherwise—as Zourabichvili pointed out—banning these parties would be pointless, given that their activities were already restricted.

“Members of Georgian Dream are acting on a whim; they have decided to ban these political parties—even though political activity and political parties were already so severely restricted that it is hard to imagine what they hope to achieve now, why they feel the need for this, or what imaginary enemies they are fighting.

This is yet another instance of them signaling—perhaps to some audience—that they are prepared to pass another repressive law, while in reality, nothing changes on the ground. The move serves to further sever the ties between us and the European Union, likely prompting a reaction from the EU and our partners, and ultimately leading to even greater isolation for Georgia. This is a course of action that directly aligns with Russia's interests," stated Zourabichvili.

Furthermore, Salome Zourabichvili compares the ruling team's potential attempt to ban the opposition to Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s fascist regime, asserting that such a decision leads to the international discredit of Georgia.

According to the country’s fifth president, this move presents the state in a negative light on the global stage and is a source of bewilderment.

"There is no justification for this; there is no basis whatsoever. If we look back at history—at which countries have implemented such bans—we find examples like Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s fascist regime, and Belarus; there are only a few countries that have taken such measures. It is certainly not a positive development for Georgia to be added to this list. I am curious to hear the views of those who have supported Georgian Dream until now—perhaps they, too, are beginning to ask questions: what kind of company are we joining following such decisions, and what purpose does this discrediting of Georgia serve? If this is what constitutes Georgia’s honor and the strengthening of its image and identity—as they claim is their goal—then I am truly surprised. In reality, nothing changes internally because of this, but we end up looking very bad in the eyes of the world. Even Russia did not impose a ban in this manner. While Russia has restricted many rights for all its opponents, it has not gone so far as to issue a ban like this. We are, it seems, 'tougher' than that," stated Zurabishvili.