Presidential election in Abkhazia 2009
The 2009 presidential election in Abkhazia took place on December 12, 2009. It was the fourth election of a head of state in the Republic of Abkhazia, which at the time of the election was only recognized internationally by Russia , Nicaragua and Venezuela .
Incumbent Sergei Bagapsch announced that he would run for another term. Other candidates were the former Vice President Raul Hadschimba and the chairman of the Partija ERA , Beslan Butba . Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba had previously been traded as a possible presidential candidate. The candidacy of the economist and philosopher Vitali Bganba was considered a surprise . The registration of the candidates took place from October 13th to November 12th, 2009 and had to be applied for by an officially registered support group (e.g. a political party ). All candidates were subjected to a language test by the Central Electoral Commission in which they had to prove knowledge of the Abkhaz language. If no candidate achieves the required absolute majority of votes, Abkhazian legislation provides for a runoff within 14 days of the first ballot.
Registered candidates
| Presidential candidate | Political party | Vice Presidential Candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Saur Ardsinba | - | Chripsom Jopua |
| Sergei Bagapsch | Jedinaja Abkhazia | Alexander Ankwab |
| Vitaly Bganba | - | Dawid Dassania |
| Beslan Butba | Partija ERA | Almas bei Kchach |
| Raul Hadschimba | - | Vasily Awidsba |
Results
| candidate | be right | proportion of |
|---|---|---|
| Sergei Bagapsch | 62,231 | 61.16% |
| Raul Hadschimba | 15,584 | 15.32% |
| Saur Ardsinba | 9,296 | 9.14% |
| Beslan Butba | 8,395 | 8.25% |
| Vitaly Bganba | 1,326 | 1.30% |
| "against all" | 1,894 | 1.86% |
| invalid | 3,031 | 2.98% |
| voter turnout | 73% |
Criticism of the course of the election campaign and the election
During the election campaign, opposition candidates Ardsinba, Butba and Chadschimba lodged a complaint with the Central Election Commission against the incumbent's campaign. They criticized Bagapsch using the advantages of his office in the election campaign, which is not permitted under Abkhaz law. In the period before the election, he was present daily on the programs of the Abkhaz state television.
After the election, the campaign team of second-placed candidate Raul Hadschimba submitted a report on election irregularities. As a result, members of the national minorities in Abkhazia are said to have been intimidated and pressured into voting with the threat that there could be difficulties with the payment of pensions and the extension of personal documents. Furthermore, after the election there were said to have been over 11,000 more eligible voters than before the election, while at the same time in Gali Rajon in connection with the so-called five - day war and the subsequent flight of numerous members of the Georgian minority, the number of eligible voters is said to have decreased by several thousand. Against this background, Khadjimba's staff suspects that the additional eligible voters are people who have cast their votes several times. In addition, the electoral roll is said to have included people who have not lived in Abkhazia since the military conflict in the early 1990s.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tschegemskaja Pravda : Выборные колонны почти сформированы ( page can no longer be accessed , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 479 kB)
- ↑ С 13 октября в Абхазии началось выдвижение кандидатов в президенты ( page can no longer be accessed , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Nowy Den No. 42 (252), November 2, 2009, p. 1
- ↑ era-abkhazia.org: Багапш победил на выборах в Абхазии набрав, голосов 61.16% - официальные данные ЦИК ( page no longer available , searching web archives ) Info: The link is automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , December 15, 2009
- ↑ Кандидаты в президенты Республики Абхазия З.Ардзинба, Б.Бутба, Р.Хаджимба требуют от ЦИК принятия незамедлительных мер по прекращению нарушений С.Багапшем Конституционного закона "О выборах Президента Республики Абхазия" ( Memento of the original on 28 December 2009 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Chegemskaya Pravda : Заявление избирательного штаба Хаджимба Р. Д. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 477 kB)
