Georgia Run-off election needed in conflict region of Abkhazia
The political leadership of the conflict region of Abkhazia, which has broken away from Georgia in the Caucasus, must be determined in a run-off election. "None of the presidential candidates has achieved the number of votes required for the election, so the vote will be repeated," said election director Dmitry Marshan, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. The two first-placed candidates, Badra Gunba and Adgur Ardsinba, will take part in the run-off, which is expected to take place on March 1.
16.02.2025, 09:34
SDA
According to the BBC's Russian service, Gunba received around 46 percent and Ardsinba 37 percent. The other three candidates together received less than 10 percent. Voter turnout was 69 percent.
New election necessary due to protests
The presidential election was brought forward after massive protests against the incumbent Aslan Bschania in November. The background to this was the planned signing of an investment treaty with Russia. Although Abkhazia is heavily dependent on Moscow politically, militarily and economically, many people demonstrated against the treaty in the capital Sukhumi. They fear a sell-out of national interests.
The former economy minister Ardsinba is regarded as the mouthpiece of this movement. On the other hand, the Kremlin campaigned in Abkhazia for the opposing candidate Gunba, who took over as acting president after Bshania's resignation.
Abkhazia declared itself independent in 1992 after a bloody civil war. In 2008, after a war between Georgia and Russia over the region of South Ossetia, which had also seceded from Tbilisi, Moscow recognized Abkhazia's sovereignty. However, the Black Sea region is isolated internationally.
