Zourabichvili has been a polarizing figure in Georgian politics since she was appointed foreign minister in March 2004. Tensions between her and the parliament exploded in October after the parliament accused Zourabichvili of ‘negligence’ when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was reportedly a day late delivering the Framework Convention for National Minorities. She was called in front of the parliament on October 18. Following a heated discussion at the parliament, Zourabichvili slammed the parliament for meddling in the Ministry’s affairs while she is out of the country. The parliament started calling for her dismissal following that session.

While the long-running feud between Zourabichvili and Burjanadze was held in the public arena, common wisdom held that Zourabichvili was a personal favorite of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and therefore protected from political backlash. However, after a day of consultations with both Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli and Saakashvili, Zourabichvili went on live television demanding the president dismantle the parliament and call for snap elections to rid the country of ‘communist’ elements that, according to her, perpetuate the corrupt ‘clan’ system that hinders democratic development in the country.

Immediately following the broadcast of her comments, Noghaideli announced her dismissal. She was replaced by long time Saakashvili ally Gela Bezhuashvili, at the time secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council. On October 20, Saakashvili criticized Zourabichvili for ‘chaos and disorganization’ in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On November 4, the government also accused the former minister of spending over a hundred thousand lari on cars without using a tender and ‘thousands’ of lari for journalists traveling with the minister overseas. Zourabichvili has denied any wrongdoing.

Despite the scandal surrounding her dismissal, Zourabichvili has gained broad popularity among the Georgian population. Powerful politicians within the ruling party have also spoken out in her favor, including Giorgi Khaindrava, the state minister for conflict resolution. According to Georgian press reports, he called her dismissal ‘incorrect,’ and praised her as ‘one of the most successful’ ministers. Another member of the National Movement and member of parliament, Gia Tortladze, left the ruling party on October 19, allegedly in part due to the parliament’s decision to demand her resignation.

The reasons behind her sudden dismissal are still unclear. According to Zourabichvili, she stood in the way of the old ‘clan’ system that was used to make money through backdoor deals and shady real estate sales. Two of the four ambassadors that called for her dismissal, Irakli Chubinishvili, the Georgian ambassador to Russia and Grigol Katamadze, ambassador to Ukraine, are involved with privatization sales of Georgian MFA property. According to Zourabichvili, funds were being mishandled in those sales.

Experts have theorized she fell from grace due to her independent stance vis-à-vis parliament. The appointment of ambassadors has traditionally fallen within the jurisdiction of the parliament; Zourabichvili saw it as the responsibility of the foreign minister. This month, the parliament dismissed several of Zourabichvili’s appointments to embassies overseas.

Another popular theory concerns the president’s motivation for dismissing his reportedly ‘favorite’ minister. According to some experts, neither the United States nor the European Union liked working with Zourabichvili who was rumored to be a bad negotiator. Some point to growing political pressure as the real cause for her dismissal.

Regardless of the reasons behind her fall from grace, Zourabichvili is reaping the benefits of her newly found popularity. After her dismissal, a reported 4,000 supporters met her in Tbilisi to support her plans for a political career. This is the largest public gathering since the Rose Revolution in 2003.

Zourabichvili has been slow to commit herself to a concrete political future although she started the Salome Zourabichvili Movement on November 1. She has held two protests over concrete government actions over the past month with high attendance – which demonstrates that her support base is strong, not merely motivated by sympathy following her sudden dismissal.

Her mode of operation is also a far cry from the usual fanfare of the largely discredited Georgian opposition. She normally has clear and reasonable concerns with government actions, which is a welcome break from the ‘cry wolf’ tendency of the established opposition parties. Zourabichvili has also made a point to travel outside of the capital Tbilisi and the Adjaran port of Batumi; most of her oppositional colleagues rarely visit the rest of the country.

While it is not clear yet how much of a difference her movement will make in the polls during the next scheduled elections, her presence in the fairly incestuous Georgian political arena is already being felt. Regardless of her future political ambitions, she is already making a difference by raising the bar for Georgian opposition leaders and giving the struggling opposition movement a well needed boast of professionalism.