De facto Abkhaz president resigns, opposition leader thanks Russia for help ‘in settling crisis’
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The de facto president of Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia, Raul Khajimba, resigned after a meeting with opposition leader Aslan Bzhania late yesterday which was also attended by Deputy Secretary of Russian Security Council Rashid Nurgaliev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladislav Surkov also went to Abkhazia following the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry that political unrest in Abkhazia was “an internal issue of the republic.”
Bzhania thanked Russia for assisting Abkhazia in “resolving the four-day political crisis.”
The opposition in Abkhazia is now discussing whom to nominate for snap 'presidential elections’ in the region scheduled for March 22.
The opposition leader in occupied Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania.
The Abkhaz Supreme Court ruled on January 10 that so-called presidential elections in the region held on September 8, 2019 were illegitimate.
In the second round of the ‘presidential election’ in September, Khajimba received 47.39 per cent of the vote, while opposition ‘presidential candidate’ Alkhas Kvitsinia received 46.17 per cent.
Kvitsinia claimed the results of the ‘presidential elections’ were invalid given that per the region's ‘constitution’, only a candidate that receives 50 per cent of votes + 1 can be considered the victor.
People took to the streets on January 9 in Abkhazia, demanding the resignation of Khajimba and snap ‘presidential elections.’
State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia Ketevan Tsikhelashvili said the safety of the population in the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia is the key priority amid current tension there.
The de facto Supreme Court of the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia announced yesterday that the so-called presidential elections in the region on September 8, 2019 were illegitimate and ruled to call for repeat “elections”.
De facto parliament in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region has adopted a resolution, urging de facto President Raul Khajimba to resign amid public protests. 19 so-called MPs supported the resolution, four went against, while one refused to vote, Russian media outlets report. Khajimba is ready to negotiate with the opposition, refusing to resign, RIA Novosti reports.
Demonstrators demanding the annulment of the results of the de facto presidential elections in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region and the resignation of the current, de facto President Raul Khajimba have broken into the so-called presidential administration building in Sokhumi earlier today.
De facto Vice President of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region Aslan Bartsitsi says that Raul Khajimba, who resigned as de facto president of Abkhazia yesterday, will not participate in ‘snap elections’ scheduled in the region on March 22.
Abkhaz ‘opposition leader’ Aslan Bzhania will run in so-called snap presidential elections in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region after the resignation of former president Raul Khajimba yesterday.
Opposition ‘presidential candidate’ in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region Aslan Bzhania says that “there must be a dialogue between Tbilisi and Sokhumi.” Bzhania, who will run in the snap ‘presidential elections’ in the region on March 22, told IPN news agency that the format of the dialogue ‘is less important, or whether there will be mediators or not, the most important is that the dialogue brings positive outcomes.’
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that ‘peace and talks” with Georgia's Russian-occupied Abkhazia region are “critically important,” responding to the recent statement of ‘Abkhaz opposition leader’ Aslan Bzhania, who is running in the region’s de facto presidential elections on March 22.
The de facto authorities of Georgia’s Russian-controlled Tskhinvali region are concerned by the recent statement of ‘Abkhaz opposition leader’ Aslan Bzhania on the ‘need for dialogue with Tbilisi,’ de facto head of Foreign Affairs Committee in the so-called Tskhinvali parliament Zaza Driaev says.
De facto presidential candidate in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region Aslan Bzhania has been transported to Sochi hospital due to alleged food poisoning ‘in a serious condition,’ Interfax reports.
The de facto opposition in Georgia’s Russian occupied Abkhazia region will demand the postponement of ‘snap presidential elections’ if their candidate Aslan Bzhania will not recover soon.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry condemns the ongoing “presidential elections” in the Russia-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia as “illegal”. The Foreign Ministry said these "elections" fully contradict the fundamental norms and principles of international law and blatantly violate Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The international community does not recognise the so-called “parliamentary elections” in the Russia-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia. Earlier today, the Georgian Foreign Ministry condemned the Abkhaz “presidential elections” as “illegal”.
Aslan Bzhania has been sworn in as the fifth de-facto leader of Russian-occupied Abkhazia for a five-year term on April 23.
Alexander Ankvab has been appointed as the de-facto Prime Minister of the Russian-occupied Abkhazia today, reports RFE/RL.
The newly elected de facto President of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region Aslan Bzhania claims that products worth billions of rubles illegally enter Tbilisi-controlled territory from the region.
De facto Prime Minister of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region and the former de facto president of Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab, 69, has been put on artificial ventilation by Russian doctors due to complications caused by coronavirus, local media outlets have reported earlier today.