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> MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2019) Over 150 polling stations will be open across the Republic of Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia, on Sunday for its citizens to cast their ballots in a presidential election.

There are nine candidates for the office, including current Abkhaz President Raul Khadzhimba, Astamur Tarba, the former head of the republic's Security Service, and defense minister's adviser Oleg Arshba.

The candidate who gets more than a half of the vote, with a voter turnout above 50 percent, will become next president.

Both president and vice president will be elected tomorrow.

The election will be monitored by observers from both chambers of the Russian parliament, as well as the Committee for External Relations of Russia's St.

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