Local officials say voter turnout has exceeded 50 percent in all districts of Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region, which is choosing a new legislature for the unrecognized, Russian-supported area.

Abkhazia election officials late March 12 said the turnout represented a five percentage point rise over the 2012 elections.

Elections in the region are considered valid if more than 25 percent of registered voters take part, local officials said.

Preliminary results are expected March 13.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry assailed the elections, saying they were “yet another attempt to legitimize the ethnic purge, military intervention,

occupation, and results of Russian aggression being carried out against Georgian statehood."

"Under international law, any so-called elections or referendum held in occupied territories are illegal and will have no legal result," the ministry said.

Election officials say 137 candidates from four political parties took part in the vote to fill the 35-seat People’s Assembly.

Should a winning candidate not receive more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be scheduled within two weeks, officials said.

The Black Sea region has a population of slightly under 250,000, and is struggling with economic stagnation and infrastructure decay compounded by lack of investment; high unemployment; and rising crime and drug addiction.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and another separatist region, South Ossetia, as independent countries after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008.

The United States and most other countries consider Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be parts of Georgia and do not recognize the results of elections held in the two regions.

Based on reporting by ria.ru and TASS</s>Voters in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia are going to the polls on March 12 to elect a new parliament, the 35-seat People’s Assembly.

Election officials say that 137 candidates from four political parties -- the Forum of National Unity of Abkhazia of de facto President Raul Khajimba, and the opposition parties Aynar, Amtsakhara, and the National Front for Justice and Developmentb -- are taking part in the elections.

Local media reported that 27 members of the outgoing parliament are seeking reelection.

Abkhazia's uses a presidential political system. The parliament's key duties include adopting laws, approving the annual budget, and endorsing the candidates proposed by the president for the post of prosecutor-general and National Bank chairperson.

The Black Sea region has a population of slightly under 250,000, and is struggling with economic stagnation and infrastructure decay compounded by lack of investment, high unemployment, rising crime and drug addiction.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and another separatist region South Ossetia as independent countries after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008. It has kept thousands of troops in the regions, deployments that NATO says violate the EU-brokered deal that ended the fighting.

The United States and all but a handful of countries consider Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be parts of Georgia and do not recognize the results of elections held in the two regions.

Based on reporting by ria.ru and TASS</s>The European Union says it will not recognize what it described as "so-called 'elections'" conducted on March 12 by Russia-backed separatists who control Georgia's Abkhazia region.

Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, said on March 13 that the EU "supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, as recognized by international law."

She added that "the European Union does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework in which these elections have taken place."

The United States also does not recognize elections in Abkhazia.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry has also condemned the legislative voting, calling it "yet another attempt to legitimize the ethnic purge, military intervention, occupation, and results of Russian aggression being carried out against Georgian statehood."

Abkhazia broke from central government control in a 1992-93 war. Russia recognized Abkhazia and breakaway South Ossetia as independent countries after fighting a five-day war against Tbilisi in 2008 and maintains thousands of troops in the two regions.

The election commission in Abkhazia's de facto government said on March 13 that 12 candidates won mandates in the 35-seat legislature in the first round and that runoff votes would be held in 22 other electoral districts in two weeks.

In one district, the election was voided due to ballot irregularities and a new vote will be held in two months.

With reporting by civil.ge, apsny.ge, Interfax, and TASS</s>Commission head Batal Tabagua told journalists that Khadzimba received 50.57 percent of the vote, while his main rival Aslan Bzhania received 35.91 percent.

According to Russia's Itar-Tass news agency all four candidates are proponents of closer relations with Russia, but none advocates the region becomes part of Russia.

Former leader Alexander Ankvab was forced to resign over allegations of corruption and misrule. Protesters broke into the presidential administration building in the main city, Sukhumi, in May.

Abkhazia, a province in the Black Sea region, together with another Georgian region, South Ossetia, had been the focal point of a war between Georgia and Russia in 2008. Now Abkhazia relies on Moscow's financial and political assistance.

Georgia considers elections in Abkhazia illegal, Interfax news agency quoted Georgia's Foreign Ministry as saying earlier on Sunday.

Russia, which angered the United States by recognising Abkhazia as an independent state, will be watching the situation closely amid tense relations with the West after annexing another breakaway region, Crimea, from Ukraine in March.

Before the unrest, the next presidential election in Abkhazia had been expected in 2016.

Abkhazia broke from Georgian rule in a 1992-1993 war after the Soviet collapse. Moscow recognised it as an independent state after Russia fought a five-day war with Georgia in 2008, and at the same time strengthened control over the region.

With just 240,000 people, Abkhazia is made up of a mix of ethnic groups. It borders the Russian resort city of Sochi.</s>Georgia says legislative elections held by Russia-backed separatists who control the breakaway Abkhazia region were illegal.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry condemned the March 12 voting in the Black Sea region as "yet another attempt to legitimize the ethnic purge, military intervention, occupation, and results of Russian aggression being carried out against Georgian statehood."

"Under international law, any so-called elections or referendum held in occupied territories are illegal and will have no legal result," the ministry said.

Abkhazia broke from central government control in a 1992-93 war. Russia recognized it as an independent country after Moscow fought a five-day war against Tbilisi in 2008, and has thousands of troops there.

The vast majority of nations consider Abkhazia part of Georgia, and do not recognize elections there..

Election officials said 137 candidates from four political parties took part in the vote to fill the 35-seat People’s Assembly.

Based on reporting by RIA and TASS</s>On Tuesday protesters broke into the capital's presidential headquarters and opposition leaders formed a Provisional National Council in the Russian-backed province, which they say is now under their control since President Alexander Ankvab fled the capital.

"We asked him (Ankvab) to step down two days ago. Today we decided that we can simply set up new elections," opposition deputy Beslan Butba told Reuters by telephone.

The parliament's speaker will act as president until the vote on August 24, Butba said.

On Friday, Ankvab, who is believed to be at a military base under Russian jurisdiction outside the main city of Sukhumi, said he would ignore an appeal by parliamentarians to quit and to sack his prime minister.

The vote for early elections was backed by 23 of the 24 members of the 35-seat parliament who were present at Saturday's session, but Prime Minister Leonid Lakerbaya said the result was unconstitutional.

"It's not within the parameters of the law. It's a revolutionary decision," Lakerbaya said in a statement.

Whoever leads Abkhazia, it will continue to have close ties with Moscow, on which it depends for political and economic assistance. The opposition describes the unrest as a local issue and draws no parallels with events outside the province.

But any bloodshed or protracted unrest could be embarrassing for Russia, which angered the United States by recognising Abkhazia as an independent state and recently annexed another breakaway region - Crimea - from Ukraine.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both relatively poor provinces in Georgia, were the focus of a war between Georgia and Russia in 2008 and now rely on Moscow's backing.</s>Abkhazia has closed all but two of its de facto border crossings with Georgia, triggering protests from Tbilisi, Washington, Brussels, and the ethnic Georgians of Abkhazia whose daily lives will be complicated by the new restrictions. Abkhazia's government announced the closures of two crossing points on March 5, following a law passed last April reducing the number of border points "in order to better control the border" and raising fines for illegal border crossings.

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People in the breakaway state of Abkhazia go to the polls for an election.