A hotly contested election campaign in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region failed to produce a winner on August 25. Based on an early vote count, incumbent Raul Khajimba and opposition candidate Alkhas Kvitsinia will compete in a runoff on September 8. Both are avid supporters of national independence for the de facto republic and believe in close ties with Russia, but differ on issues like corruption and crime.

A record nine candidates contested the race, making a first-round victory unlikely. The campaign was marred in May by the poisoning of Aslan Bzhania, a lawmaker who was tipped as Khajimba’s main challenger. Bzhania had to drop out of the race.

De facto President Khajimba, who is running for his second term, received just over 26 percent of the 70,000 votes cast. Kvitsinia came close behind with about 25 percent; a veteran of the 1990s separatist war with Georgia, he is endorsed by Bzhania, who is still recovering from mercury poisoning.

Another candidate, ex-Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Arshba, also won just shy of 25 percent, but election authorities said on August 26 that the runoff will be between Khajimba and Kvitsinia. Under Abkhazia’s system, the winner must clear a 50 percent threshold. Turnout was about 56 percent.

Weeks before the polls, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Khajimba, a fellow ex-KGB officer, in an apparent show of support. Despite Abkhazia’s near-existential dependence on Moscow for economic and military support, Putin’s endorsement failed to secure victory for Khajimba in the 2004 election, exposing a degree of resistance to Moscow’s will in the recalcitrant region.

This time, Putin stopped short of formally endorsing Khajimba. The Kremlin leader – widely accused of monopolizing power in Russia for decades – said he was expecting a clean and democratic vote in Abkhazia.

Because most of the world regards Abkhazia as part of Georgia, credible election observers were not on the ground to monitor the vote. Instead, present were mainly observers from Russia and its allies, Venezuela and Nicaragua. One German parliamentarian – Stefan Keuter, from the far-right Alternative for Germany party – also showed up. Abkhazia’s post-Soviet separatist peers South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, as well as Ukraine’s twin breakaway territories of Donetsk and Luhansk also dispatched monitors.

All declared the vote democratic.

Georgia, on the other hand, called the balloting illegitimate since it disenfranchised Georgians driven out of Abkhazia in the 1990s. “With hundreds of thousands expelled from Abkhazia as a result of the ethnic cleansing there […] the ‘election’ obviously cannot have legitimacy, especially since the occupying force [Russia] controls the area and has virtually unlimited power,” said Vladimer Konstantinidi, a spokesperson for Georgia’s Foreign Ministry.

The European Union and United States also dismissed the election as illegitimate. </s> NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, commented on parliamentary elections held on August 25 in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia. Appathurai stated that NATO does not recognise the elections and it continues to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

“NATO does not recognise the election held on August 25 in the Georgian region of Abkhazia.

NATO Allies do not recognise the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions of Georgia as independent states.

The Alliance reiterates its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders,” the statement reads.

The second round of so-called elections is expected to be held in Abkhazia on September 8. As a result of the first round of the “Presidential elections” held in the region, so-called president Raul Khajimba was named leader with 26.6% of votes.

The “Abkhazian central election commission” stated on Sunday evening that votes had been counted at 150 out of 154 polling stations and according to the counting results, Raul Khajimba received 26.6%, Alkhas Kvitsiani – 24.6%, and former so-called deputy foreign minister Oleg Arshba – 24.9% of votes.

According to the preliminary results, a second round of “elections” is expected to be held between Raul Khajimba and Oleg Arshba.

Related Story: Europe, US Do Not Recognize “Elections” in Abkhazia </s> Europe and the US have released a joint statement on the so-called “presidential elections” held in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region, saying they do not recognize the legitimacy of the “elections” conducted by the de facto authorities in Sokhumi on August 25, 2019.

“Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United Sates of America do not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called ‘presidential elections’ held in Georgia’s Abkhazia region by the de facto authorities in Sokhumi on August 25, 2019, and will not acknowledge their outcome. Similarly, we do not recognize the legitimacy or outcome of the so-called ‘parliamentary elections’ held in Georgia’s South Ossetia/Tskhinvali region on June 9, 2019.

“We reiterate our full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.

“We once again urge Russia to fulfill all of its obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement, including the withdrawal of its forces to pre-conflict positions and the provision of free access for humanitarian assistance to these regions, as well to reverse its recognition of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states,” the mentioned countries said in a joint statement.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia says that the statement was made upon the initiative of Poland.

The second round of so-called elections is expected to be held in Abkhazia. As a result of the first round of the “Presidential elections” held in the region, so-called president Raul Khajimba was named leader with 26.6% of votes.

Te “Abkhazian central election commission” stated on Sunday evening that votes had been counted at 150 out of 154 polling stations and according to the counting results, Raul Khajimba received 26.6%, Alkhas Kvitsiani – 24.6%, and former so-called deputy foreign minister Oleg Arshba – 24.9% of votes.

According to the preliminary results, a second round of “elections” is expected to be held between Raul Khajimba and Oleg Arshba.

Related Story: Second Round of So-called Elections to be Held in Occupied Abkhazia </s> TBILISI -- Incumbent separatist leader Raul Khadzhimba and Alkhaz Kvitsiniya, head of the Amtsakhara opposition party, will face off in a runoff election in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.

 

 Separatist election authorities said on August 26 that results of the vote, which Georgia's president has called "a sham," show Khadzhimba and Kvitsiniya placed first and second, respectively.

 

 "So far, we have not announced any figures after the first round. We have identified two leaders for the runoff election. Khadzhimba and Kvitsiniya have made it to the runoff," Abkhaz election supervisor Tamaz Gogia said, adding that further details will be provided later in the day at a news conference.

 

 Interfax news agency quoted Gogia as saying the runoff would take place on September 8.

 

 Election authorities say that 116,000 people were registered to vote on August 25 at 152 polling stations across Abkhazia, which Russia recognized as an independent country after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008.

 

 Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has called the election "a sham."

 

 "The Abkhaz authorities are de facto holding the illegitimate presidential election today. Georgia condemns this sham process as one more violation of our national sovereignty," Zurabishvili wrote on Twitter.



 Only a handful of countries have recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which make up around 20 percent of Georgian territory, and Moscow’s backing of the regions has drawn broad international condemnation.

 

 This month marks the 11th anniversary of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia that resulted in the occupation by Russian military forces of the two separatist regions.

 

 A group of more than a dozen Western countries has denounced the elections held by the Russian-backed separatists in Abkhazia and previous votes in South Ossetia as illegal.

 

 We “do not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called ‘presidential elections’ held in Georgia’s Abkhazia region by the de facto authorities in Sokhumi on August 25, 2019, and will not acknowledge their outcome,” an August 26 joint statement from the group, which includes Britain, Canada, and the United States, said.

 

 “We reiterate our full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders,” it added.

 

 The vote in Abkhazia, where the president is chosen for five years, will be recognized as valid by the separatist authorities if at least 50 percent of eligible voters go to the polls.

 

 Russia has maintained troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia since the 2008 war.

 

 South Ossetia held parliamentary elections on June 9 that many Western countries have also called illegitimate. </s> SUKHUM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2019) The incumbent president of Abkhazia, Raul Khadzhimba, defense minister's aide Oleg Arshba and opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsiniya are getting about a quarter of votes each in a closely contested presidential election, according to the first data of the republic's central election commission.

With data from 150 of 154 voting locations counted, Khadzhimba is leading with 26.6 percent, Arshba is gaining 24.9 percent, Kvitsiniya is third with 24.6 percent.

If none of the candidates gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held within two weeks.

Nine candidates are running for the presidential post in Abkhazia, which has a population of around 240,000. According to Tamaz Gogia, the chairman of the republic's central election commission, there were 67 international observers and 79 journalists monitoring the election.

Earlier on Sunday, Gogia said the voter turnout had topped 50 percent, which makes the election's results valid.

While being a part of Georgia, Abkhazia suffered from ethnic tensions between Abkhaz and Georgian populations, resulting in the 1992-1993 war. The conflict ended with Abkhazia being a de facto independent country. In August 2008, Abkhazia and Russia fend off an attack by the Georgian military leading to the official founding of self-governing Abkhaz nation. It still remains unrecognized by the majority of world's nations, with the exception of Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria. </s> The prime minister of the Russia-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia has died in an automobile accident, the separatist government says.



The region's press office on September 8 said 70-year-old Gennady Gagulia died on the road between Psou in the south of Russia and Sukhumi in the breakaway region. Differing reports make it unclear whether his driver and any security guards were injured.

Russian state-run TASS news agency said Gagulia had been traveling with a delegation returning from Syria.

Syria in May agreed to recognize Abkhazia and a second breakaway Georgian region, South Ossetia, as independent countries.

The regions' claims of independence from Georgia came following separatist wars in the early 1990s.

After a brief war with Tbilisi in 2008, Russia recognized Abkhazia as independent and has since stepped up its military presence there.

The vast majority of countries rejects the regions' independence claims and considers them part of Georgia.

Abkhazia is ruled by President Raul Khajimba, who in 2014 won the region's presidential election, which the central government in Georgia called illegal.

TASS reported that Khajimba expressed his condolences to Gagulia's family. Khajimba said he was in the same motorcade but was not injured.

According to local reports, Gagulia assumed the post in April and had previously been the prime minister from 1995-97 and 2002-03.

In June, the European Parliament passed a resolution demanding that Russia reverse its "decision to recognize the so-called independence of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

The declaration also called on Russia to "cease its occupation" of the two breakaway regions and "fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, as well as the inviolability of its internationally recognized borders, and that it stop the de facto integration of both regions into the Russian administration."

With reporting by AFP, TASS, REN TV, and IZ.ru </s> TBILISI -- The breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia is holding a 'presidential election' on August 25 in which incumbent separatist leader Raul Khadzhimba is facing eight challengers, according to local election officials.

Separatist election authorities say that 116,000 people are registered to vote in 152 polling stations across Abkhazia, which Russia recognized as an independent country after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008.

Tbilisi and Western countries have denounced previous elections held by Russian-backed separatists in Abkhazia and another Georgian separatist region, South Ossetia, as illegal.

The vote in Abkhazia, where the president is chosen for five years, will be recognized as valid by the separatist authorities if at least 50 percent of eligible voters go to the polls. A candidate needs to gain more than a half of the electors’ votes to win in the first round and avoid a runoff.

This month marks the 11th anniversary of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia, after which Tbilisi lost its Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.

Only a handful of countries have recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which make up around 20 percent of Georgian territory, and Moscow’s backing of the regions has drawn broad international condemnation.

Russia has maintained troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia since the war.

On August 8, the United States and six European countries -- Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and Britain -- issued a joint statement reiterating support for Georgia's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. It also urged Moscow to withdraw its military forces to the positions held before hostilities broke out. </s> The Prime Minister of Abkhazia, Gennady Gagulia, has died after his cortege got in a car accident en route from Sochi’s airport to his home republic, local authorities confirmed.

“Yes, we can confirm the information [of Gagulia's death],” the government spokeswoman Diana Zantaria told Sputnik. According to preliminary information, the head of the government was still alive on his way to the hospital. No one else was injured in the accident, Zantaria noted.

The premier’s cortege got into an accident around 10pm local time in Gudauta District of the independent republic just after passing a police post on the outskirts of Mussera. Gagulia was making his way back to Abkhazia from the Russian city of Sochi, where he landed after making an official visit to Syria.

The President of Abkhazia, Raul Khajimba, who was also travelling with the cortege, suffered no injuries. According to witnesses the tragedy happened after an oncoming passenger car apparently lost control and crashed into one of the delegation’s vehicles. Following the fateful collision, Gagulia’s bodyguard and the driver were also taken to a hospital, where they remain in “satisfactory” condition, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said.

“The delegation of the Republic of Abkhazia was returning from the official visit to Syria,” Khajimba told Interfax. “It was a car accident, not a terror act,” he stressed, confirming the tragic death of his colleague.

The 70-year-old Prime Minister of Abkhazia served as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers twice (1995 – 1997, 2002 – 2003) when the small coastal republic was still considered a part of Georgia, prior to the partial recognition of its independence following Georgia’s August 2008 attack on South Ossetia. Gagulia assumed his current role as the head of government on April 25, 2018.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! </s> Officials in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region say the speaker of the de facto parliament, Anatoly Bibilov, has won a presidential election condemned by Tbilisi and the West as illegitimate.

The head of the separatist government's election commission, Bella Pliyeva, said on April 10 that with about 90 percent of the ballots counted, Bibilov had around 58 percent of the vote -- enough to avoid a second-round runoff.

Incumbent leader Leonid Tibilov had 30 percent and regional KGB security service officer Alan Gagloyev had 11 percent, Pliyeva said.

Pliyeva added that some 78 percent of voters supported a proposal to change the region's name from the Republic of South Ossetia to the Republic of South Ossetia-Alania.

As with past ballots in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another Russia-backed breakaway region, the United States, the European Union, and Georgia called the April 9 votes illegitimate and said they would not recognize the results.

In a statement on April 9, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said the name-change referendum in the region “aims at laying the ground for its illegal annexation” by Russia.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent countries after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008, and maintains thousands of troops in both regions.

With reporting by civil.ge, Interfax, and TASS
Partially recognized Republic of Abkhazia holds the first round of the presidential election. Incumbent President Raul Khajimba and oppositor Alkhas Kvitsinia heads to second round on 8th September.