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Presidential elections were held in theRepublic of Abkhazia on 15 February 2025[1] following the2024 Abkhazian protests.[2] The protests resulted in the resignation ofAslan Bzhania aspresident of Abkhazia.[3][4]
As no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round was held on 1 March.[5] Acting presidentBadra Gunba was elected,[6] receiving 56% of the vote.
The election was called after presidentAslan Bzhania resigned in November 2024 due toprotests against an agreement allowing wealthy Russians to purchase property in Abkhazia. He was replaced on an acting basis by his vice president,Badra Gunba. On 28 November 2024, thePeople's Assembly of Abkhazia announced that new presidential elections would be held on 15 February 2025,[1] with the winner to be inaugurated within the next 30 days of the results being declared. Assembly speakerLasha Ashuba has estimated that the election would cost up to 25 million rubles ($227,300).[7]
Researcher Olesya Vartanyan stated on 13 February that high-ranking Russians, notablySergey Kiriyenko, are interfering with the election's conduct to help Badra Gunba, the candidate who is the most favorable to theKremlin.[8] Adgur Ardzinba was accused of being a "Turkish agent" which was compared to the2004 Abkhazian presidential election, whenSergei Bagapsh was presented as pro-Georgian.[9] The claim was rejected by the opposition.[10]
A candidate needs to win a majority of votes in the first round to avoid a runoff, which must be held within two weeks.[11] In the second round, a "none of the above" option is included in the ballot. A candidate must receive more votes than both their opponent and the combined "none of the above" votes in order to win.[12]
Following the first round, Ardzinba said that numerous unknown armed and uniformed people had surrounded the headquarters of theCentral Election Commission of Abkhazia (CEC) inSukhumi.[17]
On 23 February, the CEC said that Gunba had violated electoral campaign laws by attending a meeting between Russian Health MinisterMikhail Murashko and the Abkhazian acting Health Minister Eduard Butba.[17]
A televised debate was held between Gunba and Ardzinba on 27 February.[17]
During the runoff on 1 March, masked attackers stormed a polling station and threatened election officials in northwestern Abkhazia. TheInvestigative Committee of Russia said it was investigating "attacks on Russian citizens" during the election.[18]
| Candidate | Running mate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
| Badra Gunba | Beslan Bigvava | Independent | 45,817 | 47.76 | 54,954 | 55.66 | |
| Adgur Ardzinba | Alkhas Djindjal | Abkhaz People's Movement | 36,476 | 38.03 | 41,708 | 42.25 | |
| Robert Arshba | Daut Agrba | Independent | 7,434 | 7.75 | |||
| Oleg Bartsits [ab] | Adgur Kakoba | Independent | 3,988 | 4.16 | |||
| Adgur Khurkhumal [ru] | Tengiz Kutelia | Independent | 896 | 0.93 | |||
| Against all | 1,313 | 1.37 | 2,065 | 2.09 | |||
| Total | 95,924 | 100.00 | 98,727 | 100.00 | |||
| Valid votes | 95,924 | 97.28 | 98,727 | 98.32 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,684 | 2.72 | 1,687 | 1.68 | |||
| Total votes | 98,608 | 100.00 | 100,414 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 143,960 | 68.50 | 143,651 | 69.90 | |||
| Source:Abkhaz World (first round),Caucasian Knot (first round),Interfax (second round) | |||||||
Georgia: TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia denounced the "so-called presidential elections in Russian-occupied Abkhazia".[5]
European Union: A spokesperson for theEuropean External Action Service said that the European Union does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework in which the "so-called presidential elections" took place.[5]
Russia: PresidentVladimir Putin congratuled Gunba on winning the election, saying the Abkhazian people had expressed their "free popular will".[18]
South Ossetia: PresidentAlan Gagloev congratulated Gunba on his "convincing victory" in the election. Gagloev stated that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are "fraternal states united by common historical trials and values", and expressed hope for the development of allied relations between the two countries.| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
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