Constitutional Court of Abkhazia

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The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Abkhazia was created in 2016. Judges are elected by the People's Assembly with a two-thirds majority for fifteen year terms and may not be re-elected. Candidates are nominated by the President and must have a law degree, at least fifteen years experience in a legal profession and must at least forty years old. [1] A group of at least one third of all deputies may formally propose candidates to the President. [2]

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.

President of Abkhazia position

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.

Composition

The law on the Constitutional Court prescribed that it would have five judges, that it would start operating when at least three judges had been sworn in and that this had to happen by 1 January 2017.

In November 2016, President Raul Khajimba nominated five candidates: former Justice Minister Liudmila Khojashvili, former Central Election Chairman Sergei Smir, two time Presidential candidate Iakub Lakoba, as well as Tamaz Ketsba and Raul Pant. On 22 November, the People's Assembly elected Khojashvili and Pant with 26 and 25 votes respectively, while Smyr, Ketsba and Lakoba received only 20, 17 and 12 votes out of 35 total. [1] Parliament's failure to approve three out of five candidates was criticised by Khajimba, claiming that the procedure obliged deputies to vote for or against, while many had in fact abstained, and pointing out that Ketsba's candidacy in particular had been proposed by a group of Parliament members. [2] On 29 November, Khojashvili and Pant were formally sworn in. [3]

Raul Khajimba Abkhazian politician

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.

Liudmila Khojashvili is a former Justice Minister and a current judge of the Constitutional Court of Abkhazia.

Iakub Uasyl-Ipa Lakoba is an opposition politician and former Presidential candidate in the internationally unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia.

Following opposition protests against the government of Khajimba, the opposition and the government reached an agreement whereby the opposition could nominate a new Prosecutor General and two members of the Constitutional Court. It selected the lawyer Roza Zantaria and Sukhumi City Court judge Rustam Chagava. In addition, incumbent Prosecutor General Nuri Tania was nominated as Constitutional Court judge. However, on 29 December, the People's Assembly postponed the vote stating that it rejected Chagava as too inexperienced and that Zantaria had refused the nomination. [4]

Because the deadline on the formation of the Constitutional Court had been missed, on 18 January 2017 the People's Assembly adopted a bill formally postponing the deadline to 1 June 2017. [5] It also elected Tania with the support of 24 of the 27 deputies present. [6] On 10 February, the People's Assembly elected with 25 votes in favour, 2 against and 2 spoiled ballots a different opposition nominee, Head of the Cabinet Staff Diana Pilia. [7]

Diana Pilia is a judge of the Constitutional Court of Abkhazia and a former Head of the Cabinet Staff.

Related Research Articles

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.

United Abkhazia political party

United Abkhazia is a political party in Abkhazia. United Abkhazia was founded on March 25, 2004 as a socio-political movement, with the specific goal of presenting a single opposition candidate for the October 2004 presidential elections.

Government of the Republic of Abkhazia government of the Republic of Abkhazia

The Government of the Republic of Abkhazia governs the partially recognised Republic of Abkhazia.

Presidential elections were held in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia on 12 January 2005.

Gagra District District in Abkhazia, Georgia

Gagra District is a district of Abkhazia. It corresponds to the Georgian district by the same name. In medieval times, it was known as the southern part of Sadzen. It is located in the western part of Abkhazia, and the river Psou serves as a border with Krasnodar Krai of Russia. Its capital is Gagra, the town by the same name. The population of the Gagra town zone in 1989 was 77,079, but this number dropped dramatically following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia,, to 37,002 at the time of the 2003 census. Ethnic Armenians now constitute a plurality in the district.

The Forum for the National Unity of Abkhazia is a prominent oppositional political party in Abkhazia. It is led by Former Prime Minister, Vice President and President Elect Raul Khajimba.

2009 Abkhazian presidential election election

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.

The 3rd convocation of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia was in place from 2002 until 2007.

Valeri Bganba Abkhazian politician

Valeri Ramshukhovich Bganba is an Abkhazian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Abkhazia since 18 September 2018. Prior to that he was the Speaker of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia from 2012 until 2017. He was elected as speaker on 3 April 2012 and was succeeded by Valery Kvarchia on 12 April 2017. Bganba became acting President on 1 June 2014, following the resignation of Alexander Ankvab as a result of the 2014 Abkhazian political crisis. On 25 September 2014 he was replaced by Raul Khajimba, the winner of the presidential elections on 24 August.

Zurab Agumava is the head of the Supreme Court and a former politician from Abkhazia.

Government of President Khajimba

The Government of President Raul Khajimba is the current Government of the Republic of Abkhazia.

Beslan Bartsits former Prime Minister of Abkhazia

Beslan Bartsits is a former Prime Minister of Abkhazia, having been appointed by President Raul Khajimba on 5 August 2016 with his term ending 25 April 2018. In the past, he has served as Head of the Presidential Administration, Head of Gagra District and Member of Parliament.

Daur Arshba is a politician from Abkhazia. He is the Head of the Presidential Administration, having been appointed by President Raul Khajimba on 10 October 2016, and Chairman of the pro-government Forum for the National Unity of Abkhazia. In the past, he has served as Vice Speaker of the People's Assembly and as Head of Tkvarcheli District. Following the death of Gennadi Gagulia on 8 September 2018, Arshba was appointed Acting Prime Minister of Abkhazia, a position he held until 18 September 2018.

Nodik Kvitsinia is a member of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia who was convicted for the murder of Russian businessman Sergei Klemantovich and his partner Oksana Skarednova.

Aslan Bzhania Abkhaz politician

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "ВАЛЕРИЙ БГАНБА СОЖАЛЕЕТ, ЧТО КОНСТИТУЦИОННЫЙ СУД НЕ СФОРМИРОВАН". Abkhazia Inform. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 "РАУЛЬ ХАДЖИМБА ПРИЗВАЛ ДЕПУТАТОВ ПАРЛАМЕНТА БОЛЕЕ ОТВЕТСТВЕННО ПОДХОДИТЬ К РАССМОТРЕНИЮ ВАЖНЫХ ДЛЯ ГОСУДАРСТВА ВОПРОСОВ". Abkhazia Inform. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Poluyan, Elena (29 November 2016). "Судьи Конституционного суда Абхазии приняли присягу". Apsnypress . Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "ВОПРОС ИЗБРАНИЯ СУДЕЙ КС ПЕРЕНЕСЕН НА ЯНВАРЬ". Abkhazia Inform. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Poluyan, Elena (18 January 2017). "Срок формирования Конституционного суда продлен до первого июня текущего года". Apsnypress . Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "НУРИЙ ТАНИЯ ИЗБРАН СУДЬЕЙ КОНСТИТУЦИОННОГО СУДА РЕСПУБЛИКИ АБХАЗИЯ". Abkhazia Inform. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "ДИАНА ПИЛИЯ ИЗБРАНА СУДЬЕЙ КОНСТИТУЦИОННОГО СУДА РЕСПУБЛИКИ АБХАЗИЯ". Abkhazia Inform. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
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