Abkhazian presidential election, 1999

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Presidential elections were held in Abkhazia on 3 October 1999, alongside a constitutional referendum. They were the first direct presidential elections in Abkhazia, and resulted in a victory for incumbent President Vladislav Ardzinba, who ran unopposed. [1]

Abkhazia autonomous region in Georgia and breakaway republic which is not recognized internationally

Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a de facto and partially recognized republic on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, south of the Greater Caucasus mountains, in northwestern Georgia. It covers 8,660 square kilometres (3,340 sq mi) and has a population of around 240,000. Its capital is Sukhumi and it is recognised as a state by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria. While Georgia lacks control over Abkhazia, the Georgian government and most United Nations member states consider Abkhazia legally part of Georgia, whose constitution designates the area as the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia.

Vladislav Ardzinba President of Abkhazia

Vladislav Ardzinba was the first de facto President of Abkhazia. A historian by education, Ardzinba led Abkhazia to de facto independence in the 1992–1993 War with Georgia, but its de jure independence from Georgia remained internationally unrecognised during Ardzinba's two terms as President from 1994 to 2005.

Contents

Background

The previous presidential elections in 1994 had been indirect, with Ardzinba elected by the People's Assembly.

Peoples Assembly of Abkhazia legislature of Abkhazia

The People's Assembly of the Republic of Abkhazia is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Abkhazia.

In August 1999 the Central Election Commission (CEC) headed by Viacheslav Tsugba set-up 28 electoral districts for the purpose of the elections. [2]

Viacheslav Mikhail-ipa Tsugba was the third Prime Minister of the Republic of Abkhazia from December 1999 to May 2001. Before his appointment as Prime Minister, Tsugba had headed the Central Election Committee, which had overseen the internationally unrecognised simultaneously held October 1999 presidential election and constitutional referendum.

Campaign

Incumbent President Ardzinba was nominated by the national-patriotic movement Apsny, [3] and also received the support of the Communist Party [4] and the Abkhaz diaspora in Turkey. [5]

Apsny is a political party in Abkhazia.

Communist Party of Abkhazia political party

The Communist Party of Abkhazia (CPA) is a political party in Abkhazia, internationally recognized part of Georgia. The party leader is Lev Shamba.

Turkey Republic in Western Asia

Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. East Thrace, located in Europe, is separated from Anatolia by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorous strait and the Dardanelles. Turkey is bordered by Greece and Bulgaria to its northwest; Georgia to its northeast; Armenia, the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the south. Ankara is its capital but Istanbul is the country's largest city. Approximately 70 to 80 per cent of the country's citizens identify as Turkish. Kurds are the largest minority; the size of the Kurdish population is a subject of dispute with estimates placing the figure at anywhere from 12 to 25 per cent of the population.

On 2 September, the CEC registered the nomination of former Foreign Minister Leonid Lakerbaia by his People's Party. [6] However, his candidacy was not approved. [7] The CEC also denied registration to Yahya Kazan, who had been Abkhazia's representative in the United States, on the grounds that he had not lived in Abkhazia for the previous five years and that he did not have a working command of the Abkhaz language. [8]

The office of Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia was created on 17 May 1993, during the 1992-1993 war with Georgia. Due to the diplomatic isolation of Abkhazia, which remains widely unrecognised, the role of the foreign minister has been restricted mostly to negotiations over resolving the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.

Leonid Lakerbaia, was the Prime Minister of Abkhazia in the Government of President Ankvab from 27 September 2011 until his resignation on 2 June 2014 following the 2014 Abkhazian political crisis. Lakerbaia is also chairman of the socio-political movement Aitaira.

Peoples Party of Abkhazia political party

The People’s Party of Abkhazia is an oppositional political party in Abkhazia led by Iakub Lakoba. Its founding congress was held on 20 March 1992, and it claims to be the oldest political party in Abkhazia.

There were also rumours that former Vice Chairman Zurab Achba of Aidgylara would run for president, which he dismissed in an interview with Nuzhnaya Gazeta as a "nightmare of an idea". [9]

Zurab Achba was a politician from Abkhazia who was shot dead from a passing car in front of his house on 15 August 2000. Achba had been a member of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia and between 1990 and 1992, Vice Chairman of Aidgylara. During the nineties, he had been critical of President Vladislav Ardzinba. There were rumours that Achba would run for president in the 1999 presidential election, which he dismissed in an interview with Nuzhnaya Gazeta as a "nightmare of an idea".

The National Forum Aidgylara is a socio-political movement in Abkhazia. It was founded during Perestroika as the ethno-nationalist movement representing the Abkhaz people. Aidgylara's founding congress took place on 13 December 1988 in the building of the Abkhazian State Philharmonic Orchestra, where the writer Alexey Gogua was elected its first Chairman.

Results

CandidateRunning matePartyVotes%
Vladislav Ardzinba Valeri Arshba Apsny 186,79299.11
Against all1,6830.89
Invalid/blank votes129–
Total188,604100
Registered voters/turnout214,50387.93
Source: Lenta.ru

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Gulripshi District District in Abkhazia, Georgia

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On 3 October 2004 Abkhazia held its second Presidential elections since the post of President of the Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994, and 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 by Russian authorities. Khadjimba's main opponent was Sergei Bagapsh, the candidate 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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References

  1. ↑ Wheatley, Jonathan (2005). Georgia from national awakening to Rose Revolution: delayed transition in the former Soviet Union. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 121. ISBN   0-7546-4503-7.
  2. ↑ "Daily News August 9, 1999". Sarke. 9 August 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "Daily News August 11, 1999". Sarke. 11 August 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "Daily News August 16, 1999". Sarke. 16 August 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Daily News October 1, 1999". Sarke. 1 October 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Daily News September 3, 1999". Sarke. 3 September 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  7. ↑ Sharia, Vitali (5 September 2011). "Как в Абхазии президентов выбирали". Ekho Kavkaza. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Tesemnikova, Ekaterina (7 July 2001). "Тбилиси ищет альтернативу Ардзинбе". Независимая газета. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Daily News August 13, 1999". Sarke. 13 August 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.


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