Abkhaz president agrees to resign, new presidential elections set for March 22

JAM-NEWS -- President of Abkhazia Raul Khajimba has signed his resignation letter under pressure from mass opposition protests that began on January 9.

Prior to this the parliament called on him to resign, and then the Supreme Court ruled to annul the results of last presidential election in September 2019, effectively removing him from office.

On January 11, the Central Election Commission scheduled repeat elections for March 22.

However, Raul Khajimba refused to leave the post and stated that he would file a counterclaim.

There were also suggestions from the president’s circles that the current president would continue to work before a new president was elected in March.

In the evening of January 12, about 1,000 opposition supporters gathered under the president’s residence in Sukhum. Some protesters came there on foot from the presidential administration building, many arrived by car. These two buildings are approximately four kilometers apart.

Protesters demanded that Raul Khajimba immediately resign. After some time, the president replied that he would sign a statement if the opposition dispersed.  This offer  was greeted aggressively by the audience, and ten minutes later it became known that Raul Khajimba had resigned.

Source: JAM-NEWS