Badra Gunba Nominated for Abkhazia’s Presidential Election
Gunba, born on 14 August 1981, has held multiple government roles.
SUKHUM / AQW’A — Acting President of Abkhazia, Badra Gunba, has been formally nominated as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for 15 February 2025.
An initiative group of 18 citizens submitted Gunba’s nomination to the Central Election Commission (CEC), which subsequently registered the group. The members were issued a certificate of registration and signature sheets to collect between 2,000 and 2,500 voter endorsements, as required by election regulations.
“The Central Election Commission has registered an initiative group of 18 people for the nomination of Badra Gunba as a presidential candidate,” stated Dmitry Marshan, Chairman of the CEC.
Gunba must also pass a linguistic test conducted by a specialised commission to verify his proficiency in the Abkhaz language. The registration of candidates, along with their proposed vice-presidential running mates, will be carried out by the CEC within ten days of receiving the required documents and written consent from the nominees. This process must be completed no later than 30 days before the election.
Following his official registration as a candidate, Gunba will step down as Acting President, as required by the Constitution. The Prime Minister will assume the responsibilities of Acting President during the election period.
Gunba, born on 14 August 1981, has held various government roles, including Vice President of Abkhazia since 2020.
The upcoming election comes following former President Aslan Bzhania’s decision to step down and not seek re-election.
Profile: Badra Gunba
Badra Gunba was born on 14 August 1981 in Sukhum. He graduated in 2003 from the Faculty of Economics at Saratov State Agrarian University (now Saratov State University of Genetics, Biotechnology, and Engineering), specialising in Accounting and Auditing.
In 2005–2006, Gunba completed professional retraining in legal organisation at the Saratov Regional Institute for Advanced Training and Retraining of Agro-Industrial Complex Specialists. He earned a PhD in Economics in 2007.
From December 2003 to February 2006, he held various positions in the Saratov city administration. In April–June 2007, he served as a senior specialist in the Consolidated Planning Sector of the Finance Committee in Saratov’s administration.
Gunba began his career in Abkhazia in September 2007 as a legal advisor in the Cabinet of Ministers. From January 2009 to October 2011, he served as Deputy Minister of Culture, followed by his tenure as Minister of Culture from October 2011 to October 2014.
After 2015, Gunba engaged in entrepreneurial activities. On 7 February 2020, the political parties 'Aitaira' and 'Amtsakhara' endorsed him as a candidate for Vice President in the 2020 presidential elections alongside Aslan Bzhania.
On 22 March 2020, Aslan Bzhania was elected President of Abkhazia, and on 23 April 2020, Badra Gunba assumed the office of Vice President.