By Felix Light
TBILISI (Reuters) – Presenting an enigmatic aura, the acting leader of the separatist Georgian enclave of Abkhazia emerged as the victorious candidate in a clandestine presidential election within the region. This came in the wake of his predecessor’s ousting from office months earlier, as disclosed by state media on Sunday, citing preliminary outcomes.
Acting President Badra Gunba secured nearly 55% of the votes cast in the election held on Saturday, surpassing opposition figure Adgur Ardzinba, who garnered just under 42%, as reported by the Abkhazian state news agency Apsnypress, referencing the electoral commission’s data.
Georgia, which recognizes Abkhazia as its integral part – albeit acknowledged as such by only a select few nations – condemned the election as “yet another blatant infringement on Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Gunba, who had served as Abkhazia’s vice president since 2020, assumed the role of acting leader in November following the resignation of his comrade Aslan Bzhania amid widespread protests against an investment pact with Russia. This marked the third instance since 2014 that a leader in Abkhazia was compelled to step down due to mass demonstrations.
Abkhazia, a lush expanse along the Black Sea harboring approximately 240,000 inhabitants, seceded from Georgia following a conflict in the early 1990s, with Russia’s backing. Moscow’s recognition of the region as an independent entity ensued after a subsequent war in 2008, during which tens of thousands of ethnic Georgians were displaced from the area amid ongoing hostilities.
Despite its political and economic reliance on Russia, certain Abkhazians have voiced concerns over what they perceive as an encroachment of Moscow’s influence in the separatist state.
(Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by William Mallard)
