RTThu, 09 Jan 2020 11:27 UTC
© Sputnik
Thousands of opposition protesters took to the streets of Abkhazia's capital of Sukhum on Thursday, breaking into the office of president Raul Khajimba and demanding a new election.
The police force outside the presidential administration building failed to contain the angry crowd, with people smashing doors and windows to make it inside. Footage from the president's HQ showed the protesters roaming the offices, overturning furniture and throwing state papers around.
A large crowd remained camped outside the building as the night descended on the Abkhazian capital. The protest leaders urged the people not to disperse until their goal is achieved.
© Sputnik
The unrest erupted on the day when the High Court was considering the complaint by the opposition, who insists that the president maintained his post illegally during the election in August. Alkhas Kvitsinia, who lost to Khajimba by less than 2 percent in the second round, argues that a new vote is needed as none of the candidates was able to pass the 50 percent threshold.Later on Thursday, the Abkhazian MPs held a vote and decided to ask Khajimba to step down and schedule a new election in order to defuse the tensions. The president refused to accept proposal, however, saying that another way out of the crisis must be found.
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UPDATE: 14th January @ 22:54 CETRFE/RL
reports that the leader has resigned and has no plans to run for a new term:
Raul Khajimba, leader of the self-proclaimed breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia, who resigned following four days of protests in the regional capital, Sukhumi, does not plan to take part in a new election.
Separatist Vice President Aslan Bartsits told lawmakers, who accepted the resignation on January 13, that Khajimba "will continue to take part in political life" but "is not going to run in the election."
Afterward, the breakaway region's parliament named de facto Prime Minister Valery Bganba as acting president and announced that the current staff of the separatist cabinet will continue until a new president is elected.
Raul Khajimba
Bganba issued a statement addressing the residents of the breakaway region, saying that he will do "everything to establish internal stability in order to secure the decent organization and execution of presidential elections in accordance with the terms defined by the constitution."
The leader of the Bloc of the Opposition Forces, lawmaker Aslan Bzhania, said on January 13, that he plans to put himself forward as a presidential candidate in the election.
A day earlier, former Abkhaz Prime Minister Sergei Shamba read Khajimba's resignation statement to protesters near the presidential residence.
Parliamentary speaker Valery Kvarchia confirmed the resignation, telling Russia's TASS news agency that "the issue of who will act [as president] has not yet been decided."
"It may be the prime minister," he added, referring to Prime Minister Valery Bganba.
Kvarchia added the region's de facto legislature would take up the issue in a session later on January 13.
The announcement came just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide, Vladislav Surkov, arrived in Sukhumi, joining a Russian delegation headed by Russian Deputy Security Council Chairman Rashid Nurgaliyev.
The Abkhaz Supreme Court on January 10 reversed an earlier decision and declared the September results void, following a petition by opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsinia.
Khajimba and his supporters had resisted calls for his resignation and planned to launch legal appeals before his January 12 about-face.
The head of the region's self-proclaimed Central Election Commission, Tamaz Gogia, said on January 12 that he did not agree with the Supreme Court ruling, but that he would abide by it. The commission set March 22 as the date for a new election.
The Black Sea region has had de facto independence from Georgia since a war against Tbilisi in 1992-93. After Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August 2008, Moscow unilaterally recognized Abkhazia and another breakaway Georgian region, South Ossetia, as independent states.
Both regions have since been largely propped up by Moscow and host Russian military forces.
Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions to be occupied territories.
See also:
'Beacon of liberty': 10 years since Georgia attacked South Ossetia and Russia - not the other way around
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RFE/RL reports that the leader has resigned and has no plans to run for a new term: See also: 'Beacon of liberty': 10 years since Georgia attacked South Ossetia and Russia - not the other way around