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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Abkhazia |
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Presidential elections were held in the Republic of Abkhazia on 24 August 2014. The sixth such elections since the post of President of Abkhazia was created in 1994, they were held early due to the resignation of President Alexander Ankvab on 1 June 2014 following the 2014 Abkhazian political crisis. Four candidates contested the elections, which were won by Raul Khadjimba, who received just over 50% of the vote.
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.
The position of President of Abkhazia was created in 1994. Before the office of president was created the head of state position was known as the Chairman of Parliament between 1992 and the creation of the 1994 constitution. Before the position of Chairman of Parliament, the highest office in Abkhazia was the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet. The post would last from the declaration of sovereignty from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic on 25 August 1990 until the outright declaration of independence on 23 July 1992.
Aleksandr Ankvab is an Abkhaz politician and businessman who was President of Abkhazia from May 29, 2011, until his resignation on June 1, 2014. Under President Sergei Bagapsh, he previously served as Prime Minister from 2005 to 2010 and Vice-President from 2010 to 2011.
On 27 May, opposition protesters stormed the Presidential administration, prompting Ankvab to flee to Gudauta. The resulting crisis culminated in his resignation on 1 June. As Vice President Mikhail Logua had already resigned in December 2013 due to ill health, Speaker of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia Valeri Bganba has become acting President.
Gudauta is a town in Abkhazia, Georgia and a centre of the eponymous district. It is situated on the Black Sea, 37 km northwest to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia.
Mikhail Valerievich Logua is an Abkhaz politician who has been Vice President of Abkhazia from 2011 until 2013. He previously served as Governor of Gulripsh District from 2006 until 2011.
The People's Assembly of the Republic of Abkhazia is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Abkhazia.
On 3 June 2014, Chairman of the Central Election Committee Batal Tabagua announced that the Committee had begun preparations for the Presidential election and that the date had been set for 24 August. [1]
Batal Tabagua is the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Abkhazia. He was appointed to the Central Election Commission December 11, 2004 by outgoing president Vladislav Ardzinba and elected Chairman December 14 after his predecessor, Sergei Smyr, had resigned during the crisis that ensued after the October 3 Presidential election. Previously, Tabagua had been Minister for Justice and head of the Ochamchira district administration.
Candidates could be nominated between 25 June and 14 July. Parties registered less than five months before the election date were not be eligible to nominate candidates. [1] On 14 July, the Central Election Commission announced that all candidates except Beslan Eshba had passed the Abkhaz language fluency test. [2] On 15 July, the Central Election Commission officially registered Khajimba, Kishmaria, Bazhania and Dzapshba as candidates. [3] Of these, the first three received their registration certificates that same day, and Dzapshba on 16 July. [4] [5]
Presidential candidate | Career | Vice Presidential candidate | Career | Political support |
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Candidates participating in the election | ||||
Mirab Kishmaria |
| Said Lolua | ||
Leonid Dzapshba |
| Boris Abitov |
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Raul Khajimba |
| Vitali Gabnia |
|
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Aslan Bzhania |
| Astan Agrba |
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Nominated candidates, but not registered | ||||
Beslan Eshba |
| Vakhtang Tsugba |
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Kishmaria's campaign manager was former MP Ilia Gamisonia.
Kishmaria campaigned on 23 July in the villages of Sanarda, Agubedia and Pervaya Bedia (Tkvarcheli District), [21] on 24 July in Lykhny and Duripsh (Gudauta District), [22] on 25 July in Tsandrypsh and Makhadyr (Gagra District), [23] on 29 July again in Lykhny, [24] on 7 August among diaspora voters in Moscow, [25] on 14 August with voters in Cherkessk, [26] on 15 August in Primorskoe, Abgarkhuk and Achandara (Gudauta District), [27] on 18 August in Sukhumi's New District [28] and on 21 August in Tkvarcheli. [29]
Agubedia is a village in the Tkvarcheli District of Abkhazia, a partially-recognized state but nominally part of Georgia.
Tkvarcheli District is one of the districts of Abkhazia. It has no equivalent Georgian district, as it was newly formed in 1995 from parts of Ochamchira District and Gali District, centered on its eponymous capital, Tkvarcheli. The population of the district was 14,477 at the time of the 2003 census. By the 2011 census, it had increased to 16,012. Of note is Bedia Cathedral located within the district.
Lykhny is a village in the Gudauta District of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. In medieval Georgian sources the village is also known as Zupu (ზუფუ). The village lies along the narrow Black Sea plain of Abkhazia at an elevation of 50 meters above sea level. Lykhny is located five kilometers from the administrative center of Gudauta. There are several important historical monuments in and around Lykhny. Of particular importance are the 10-11th century Church of the Virgin Mary and the ruins of a two-storey palace which was used as a residence by the princes of Abkhazia. An older monument, the fortress of Abaanta is located at the edge of the village on the left bank of the Khipsta River.
Dzapshba's campaign manager was former Chairman of the State Committee for Youth Affairs and Sports Rafael Ampar. [30] His candidate for the post of Prime Minister was former Foreign Affairs Minister Maxim Gvinjia. [31]
Dzapshba campaigned on 11 August in the villages of Babushara (Gulripshi District) and Kutol and Jgyarda (Ochamchire District), [31]
Khajimba's campaign manager was MP Artur Mikvabia. His candidate for the post of Prime Minister was Beslan Butba, who had been appointed acting Vice Premier following President Ankvab's resignation.
Khajimba campaigned on 19 July in Ochamchire and Shaumyanovka (Gulripshi District), [32] on 22 July in the villages of Alakhadzy, Kolkhida and Bzypta (Gagra District), [33] on 23 July in Uarcha and Pshap (Gulripshi District), [34] on 30 July in Kutol (Ochamchire District), [35] on 11 August in Chlou and Tkhina (Ochamchire District), [36] on 12 August in Salme, Mekhadyr and Bagrypsh (Gagra District), [37] on 14 August in Myrkul (Ochamchire District), [38] on 21 August in Achandara and Duripsh (Gudauta District) and Lower Eshera (Sukhumi District) [39] and on 22 August in Lykhny (Gudauta District). [40]
On 16 July and for the duration of the election, Bzhania's tasks as head of the State Security Service were transferred to First Deputy Head Zurab Margania. [41]
Bzhania's campaign manager was Leonid Lakerbaia, who resigned as Prime Minister along with Alexander Ankvab, and his deputy campaign managers Mikhail Logua, Vice President under Ankvab until December 2013, and Agriculture Minister Beslan Jopua. [42] Bzhania's candidate for the post of Prime Minister was State Customs Committee Head Said Tarkil. [43]
Bzhania campaigned on 20 July in Tkvarcheli and the villages of Bedia and Agubedia (Tkvarcheli District), [44] on 21 July in Agudzera and Markhiaul (Gulripshi District), [44] on 23 July in Sukhumi's New District, [45] on 24 July in the villages of Gumista and Iastkhua (Sukhumi District), [46] on 28 July again in Sukhumi, [47] on 29 July again in Gulripshi District, [48] on 1 August among diaspora voters in Moscow, [49] on 7 August in Ochamchire, [50] on 14 August in Sukhumi's Sinop District, [51] on 16 August in Gagra, [52] on 17 August with Russian-speaking voters, [42] on 19 August in Pitsunda, [53] on 20 August in Gudauta, [43] and on 21 August in Sukhumi's Kinoprokat District. [54]
On 24 July, a prayer service was held in Sukhumi Cathedral in which all four candidates participated. [55] On 25 July all four candidates signed an election covenant promising to conduct fair election campaigns. [56]
One of the key complaints of the opposition during the 2014 Abkhazian political crisis was that thousands of Georgian residents of the Gali, Tkvarcheli and Ochamchire Districts had received Abkhazian passports in violation of citizenship law. Accordingly, on 1 July, 22787 Georgians were stricken from the voters list. [57]
On 7 July, four Armenian former and current members of the People's Assembly launched an appeal that Abkhazia should actively push for the restoration of the Russian-Armenian railway link through Abkhazia, as it would strengthen both Abkhazia's economy and sovereignty. The proposal received sharp criticism in Parliament, in part due to the use in the appeal of the phrase 'the Abkhazian-Georgian section of the railway'. On 16 July, Aslan Bzhania expressed his support for the proposal. [58]
Around 4:05 in the morning of 20 August, a grenade was thrown into courtyard of CEC head Batal Tabagua. No one was injured, Tabagua's and neighbouring houses were damaged. [59]
On 22 August, at about 18:00, the parked car of Nuzhnaya journalist Isida Chania was shot at from a white Lexus SUV. At the crime scene, 29 empty cartridges and 2 bullets were found. [60]
As in previous elections, there will be polling stations outside Abkhazia, in Moscow and Cherkessk. For the first time, there will also be a polling station in Istanbul. All three polling stations are assigned to District no. 5 in Sukhumi, where the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is located. [61]
Date | Source | Khajimba | Bzhania | Kishmaria | Dzapshba |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
End July–start August 2014 | ISM | 42% | 33% | 19% | 6% |
4–10 August 2014 | ISM | 40% | 36% | 15% | 9% |
22–23 August 2014 (Suhumi) | Medium-Orinet | 45% | 33% | 14% | 8% |
According to the official results released by the Central Election Commission on 26 August, Raul Khajimba was elected in the first round with 50.60% of the vote. [62]
Presidential candidate | Vice Presidential candidate | votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Raul Khajimba | Vitali Gabnia | 50,586 | 50.60 |
Aslan Bzhania | Astan Agrba | 35,869 | 35.88 |
Mirab Kishmaria | Said Lolua | 6,390 | 6.39 |
Leonid Dzapshba | Boris Abitov | 3,397 | 3.40 |
Against all | 1,870 | 1.87 | |
Invalid | 1,854 | 1.85 | |
Total number of votes cast | 99,966 | 100.00 | |
Turnout | 99,966 | 75.24 | |
Abstention | 32,895 | 24.76 | |
Total number of registered voters | 132,861 | 100.00 | |
Source: Apsnypress |
Raul Jumkovich Khajimba is the current President of Abkhazia, having been elected in 2014 after the May Revolution. He was also Chairman of the Forum for the National Unity of Abkhazia from 2010–2015. 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.
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.
Abkhazia–Nicaragua relations refers to bilateral foreign relations between the Republic of Abkhazia and Nicaragua. Nicaragua recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia on September 5, 2008.
On 12 December 2009, Abkhazia held its fourth Presidential election since the post of President of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994. The election was won by incumbent president Sergei Bagapsh in the first round with 61% of the votes, thus gaining a second term in office. He was inaugurated on 12 February 2010. Bagapsh competed against four opposition candidates: former Vice President and Prime Minister Raul Khajimba, who came second behind Bagapsh in the 2004 Presidential election, and newcomers Beslan Butba, Zaur Ardzinba and Vitali Bganba. Khajimba had stated that he, Ardzinba and Butba would support each other should one of them reach the second round of the election.
Stanislav Lakoba is an academic and politician from Abkhazia. Lakoba was Sergei Bagapsh's Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2004 Presidential election and from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2011 to 2013 he served as Secretary of the Security Council. He is Professor in Archeology, Ethnology and History at the Abkhazian State University.
Beslan Butba is a businessman and a former Prime Minister of Abkhazia. He owns Abkhazia's only private television station Abaza TV and is the chairman of the Party of the Economic Development of Abkhazia. Butba was an unsuccessful candidate in the December 2009 presidential election.
On 12 February 2011, Abkhazia held local elections for the 5th convocations of its local assemblies.
A presidential election was held in the Republic of Abkhazia on 26 August 2011. This was the fifth such election since the post of President of the Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994. The election was held to elect the successor of president Sergei Bagapsh who died in office on 29 May 2011.
The 5th convocation of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia has been in place since 3 April 2012.
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Leonid Dzapshba is a two-time Minister for Internal Affairs of Abkhazia, a former Presidential candidate and the former head of the Football Federation of Abkhazia.
The Abkhazian Revolution took place in 2014, when President Aleksandr Ankvab resigned after hundreds of demonstrators stormed his office. After mass protests in the capital Sukhumi and the occupation of his office on 27 May, Ankvab fled to his hometown of Gudauta and ultimately resigned on 1 June, after previously denouncing the demonstration as an attempted coup d'état.
The Minister for Internal Affairs holds a ministerial position in the government of the Republic of Abkhazia. The post existed in the Soviet period within the Council of Ministers of the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and since then has been occupied by 10 politicians, of whom three have occupied it twice. The current Minister is Aslan Kobakhia.
The Government of President Raul Khajimba is the current Government of the Republic of Abkhazia.
Shamil Adzynba is the current First Vice Premier of Abkhazia in the Government of President Khajimba, and a two-time acting Prime Minister.
Abkhazia–Nauru relations refers to the bilateral foreign relations between the Republic of Abkhazia and Nauru. Relations were established between the states in 2009, in the aftermath of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, which saw Abkhazia gain partial international recognition.
Astamur Tania is a former Head of the Presidential Administration of Abkhazia.
Aslan Bzhania is a former Head of the State Security Service, a former Presidential candidate and one of the current leaders of the opposition in Abkhazia.
This article contains the list of candidates associated with the Russian presidential election, 2018.