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 Abkhaziaportal |
Parliamentary elections were held in Abkhazia on 2 March 2002 to elect the third convocation of the People's Assembly. The elections had originally been scheduled for 24 November 2001, but had to be postponed due to the October 2001 Chechen incursion into the lower Kodori Valley. [1] Candidates supporting President Vladislav Ardzinba won all 35 seats. [2]
All candidates were nominated by initiative groups. [3] Initially, 106 initiative groups registered with the Central Election Commission, but only 100 completed the necessary paperwork. [4] Of the 100 nominated candidates, only 89 agreed to run. [5] The Central Election Commission refused to register fourteen candidates on the ground that some of their collected signatures were supposedly forged, seven of which appealed the decision with the Supreme Court. [6] [7] In four cases, the court confirmed the Commission's decision, while in the cases of outgoing Vice Speaker Ruslan Kharabua, Givi Gabnia and Anatoli Khashba, it ordered further investigation by experts. [6] [8] The court eventually ruled in favour of Khashba, and he was registered as a candidate. [8]
On 26 February, Aitaira held an extraordinary congress at which it called for the elections to be declared invalid and for new elections to be organised at a later date, due to various violations favouring pro-government candidates and the refusal of the Central Election Commission to register eight of its candidates. In contrast, Apsny and Amtsakhara called for the elections to go through as planned. [9] Fourteen candidates withdrew in protest: Irina Agrba, Izida Chania, Iakub Lakoba, Dalila Pilia, Viktor Bartsyts, Vadim Smyr, Leonid Lakerbaia, Roman Geria, Zurab Otyrba, Appolon Shinkuba, Oleg Damenia, Valeri Bigvava, Gennadi Alamia and Natella Akaba. [8] [10] In addition, Vladimir Mukba withdrew for family reasons and Aiba Azaret in favour of Sergei Dbar. [8]
Following the withdrawal of these sixteen candidates, 63 candidates contested the 35 constituencies, with twelve constituencies only having a single candidate; eighteen constituencies had two candidates and five constituencies had three. The candidates included 45 Abkhazians, seven Russians, five Armenians, three Georgians, one Greek, one Kabardian and one Cherkessian. Four were women. [10] [11] [12]
Ethnic Georgians displaced during the conflict were prevented from voting, whilst state radio and television supported pro-government candidates. [2]
The Central Election Commission was subordinated to the Cabinet of Ministers and the procedures it implemented did not correspond to election law — the period for collecting signatures was too short and the forms did not allow for surplus signatures to compensate for any that might be disqualified. Voter lists contained people that had died or emigrated and double entries at two places of residence. Observers reported pressure on local administrations and voters. [7]
Preliminary turnout was 61.2%. [13] The elections were decided in the first round in 30 out of 35 constituencies. Among the elected deputies were 21 Abkhaz, three Georgians, three Armenians, two Russians and one Kabardin. None of the female candidates was elected in the first round. [14] Outgoing Speaker Sokrat Jinjolia lost the election in constituency no. 31. [7]
In constituencies no. 3, 4, 5 and 11, no candidate achieved a first round majority and a second round was held on 16 March. [13] [15] [16]
Central Election Commission Chairman Sergei Smyr claimed that in constituency no. 2, a number of residents had put pressure on voters to abstain. [14] Later, Smyr declared that while the local election commission deemed the election to have been invalid, the Central Election Commission disagreed, and so the matter was brought before the Supreme Court. [17]
The repeated election in constituency no. 2 was originally planned for 18 May, but on 1 May the Central Election Commission decided to postpone it to 23 June, to give candidate Leonid Osia more time to prepare after he lost his court case against the decision to repeat the election. [19] Nonetheless, only Garik Samanba participated in the rerun. [20] [21] [22]
Raul Jumkovich Khajimba is an Abkhazian politician, and served as President of Abkhazia from 25 September 2014 until 12 January 2020. He was also Chairman of the Forum for the National Unity of Abkhazia from 2010 to 2015. Khajimba previously held the offices of Vice President (2005–2009), Prime Minister (2003–2004) and Defence Minister (2002–2003). He unsuccessfully ran for President in 2004, 2009 and 2011. He resigned the presidency in 2020 due to protests against him.
Sergei Shamba is a senior politician from Abkhazia. He is currently a member of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia and Chairman of United Abkhazia. He was Prime Minister of Abkhazia under President Sergei Bagapsh from 13 February 2010 until 27 September 2011. Between 1997 and 2010 he had been Minister for Foreign Affairs under both Bagapsh and his predecessor Vladislav Ardzinba, with only a half-year interruption in 2004. Shamba has twice unsuccessfully participated in presidential elections, in 2004 and 2011. He has been a staunch proponent for dialogue between Abkhazia and Georgia.
Aleksandr Zolotinskovich Ankvab is an Abkhaz politician and businessman who was president of Abkhazia from 29 May 2011, until his resignation on 1 June 2014. Under president Sergei Bagapsh, he previously served as prime minister from 2005 to 2010 and vice-president from 2010 to 2011. He was appointed prime minister again on 23 April 2020.
Parliamentary elections were held in Abkhazia on 4 March 2007, with a second round in seventeen constituencies on 18 March.
Gudauta District is a district of Abkhazia, Georgia’s breakaway republic. It corresponds to the eponymous Georgian district. Its capital is Gudauta, the town by the same name. The population of the district was 34,869 at the time of the 2003 census, down from 57,334 in 1989. By the time of the 2011 Census, the population had increased to 36,775.
Gulripshi District is a district of Abkhazia, one of Georgia’s breakaway republics. It corresponds to the eponymous Georgian district. Its capital is Gulripshi, the town by the same name. Until the August 2008 Battle of the Kodori Valley, the north-eastern part of Gulripshi district was part of Upper Abkhazia, the corner of Abkhazia controlled by Georgia until the Battle of the Kodori Valley during the August 2008 South Ossetia War. Upper Abkhazia was home to 1,956 of the district's 19,918 inhabitants, most of whom were ethnic Svans. Most of these fled before the battle and have not yet returned.
Presidential elections were held in Abkhazia on 3 October 2004, the first that were competitive. Election law prohibited incumbent President Vladislav Ardzinba from running for a third term and he instead backed Prime Minister Raul Khadjimba, who also enjoyed support from the Russian authorities. Khadjimba's main opponent was Sergei Bagapsh, who was supported by the two major opposition parties, United Abkhazia and Amtsakhara, and later also by Aitaira when their candidate Alexander Ankvab was barred from running in a controversial decision by the Central Election Commission.
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The Government of President Vladislav Ardzinba was the first Government of the Republic of Abkhazia.
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The 3rd convocation of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia was in place from 2002 until 2007.
The 5th convocation of the Sukhumi City Council has been in office since 10 March 2011.
The 5th convocation of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia took office following the 2012 elections on 3 April 2012 and was replaced by the 6th convocation following the 2017 elections.
Zaur Ardzinba was a businessman from Abkhazia who unsuccessfully ran for President in the 2009 election.
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On 13 March 2004, Abkhazia held local elections for the 3rd convocations of its local assemblies, coinciding with early voting for the Russian presidential election of the following day. On 18 February, the People's Assembly rejected a proposal by President Vladislav Ardzinba to postpone the elections to coincide with the October 2004 presidential election, because all the necessary preparations had already been made.
Parliamentary elections were held in Abkhazia on 12 March 2022, with a second round taking place on 26 March.
