On February 15, Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia is holding so-called early presidential elections.
Five candidates are participating, but the main contenders are considered to be the acting “president” Badra Gunba and opposition leader Adgur Ardzinba.
Polling stations in occupied Abkhazia opened at 8 a.m. local time and will remain open until 8 p.m. According to the electoral register, approximately 135,000 voters are eligible to participate. A total of 152 polling stations have been set up, including two outside Abkhazia—in Moscow and Cherkessk. However, a polling station in Turkey’s Sakarya province, home to a significant Abkhaz diaspora, was closed a day before the election.
Around 100 observers from various countries have arrived in occupied Abkhazia to monitor the so-called election. However, Russia’s Central Election Commission decided not to send its own observers.
A candidate will be considered elected if they secure more than 50% of the votes plus one additional vote.
The candidates running in the so-called election are Badra Gunba, Adgur Ardzinba, Oleg Bartsitsi, Robert Arshba, and Adgur Khurkhumali.
The decision to hold early “presidential” elections was made by the de facto parliament after the resignation of Aslan Bzhania on November 19, 2024, following prolonged protests in Sokhumi. Bzhania had been elected in 2020.
