Abkhazia midterm Presidential Election 2014, Raul Khajimba won the election

The presidential midterm election of Abkhazia was held on 24 August 2014. Raul Khajimba won the presidential election.

Allegations of corruption and misrule had forced the former President Aleksandr Ankvab to resign in early June 2014. His resignation consequently lead to the rescheduling the date of presidential elections from 2016 to August 2014.

60% votes polled in the election. Raul Khajimba won the presidential elections with 50.57% of the votes in the first round. While his main rival Aslan Bzhani only gained 35.91%. The other two remaining candidates Mirab Kishmaria and Leonid Dzapshba respectively obtained 6.4% and 3.4% of votes.

Raul Khajimba is the leader of Abkhazia’s biggest opposition party, the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia.

Background

Abkhazia became de facto independent from Georgia after driving out Georgian troops from its soil in a civil war that killed thousands between 1992 and 1993

Today, the region is only recognised as independent de jure by a handful of couabkhaziantries such as Russia, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Currently, Abkhazia is totally dependent on Russia to ensure both its security and its economic stability. Its economy notably functions with rubles, while two thirds of its budget is paid by Moscow. The situation has been denounced by Tbilisi, which maintain de-jure sovereignty over Abkhazia.

Since the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia, Moscow has supported Abkhazia’s independence, and recognised it as such on the international scene.

In January 2014, the Georgian government had accused Russia of moving its frontier in order to increase its territory over Abkhazia, and violating its territorial sovereignty.

The 2008 South Ossetia war between Russia and Georgia revived tension in Abkhazia and annulled the ceasefire that had been agreed on in 1994.