Abkhazia "President" Agrees to Resign Following Ongoing Protests

12 January 2020 21:11

The so—called president of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia in Georgia, Raul Khajimba, has agreed to resign amid ongoing protests in the area and following the Supreme Court's January 11 decision to annul the September 2019 election results.

The so-called "president" of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia in Georgia, Raul Khajimba, has agreed to resign amid ongoing protests in the area and following the Supreme Court's January 11 decision to annul the September 2019 election results.

This was announced to the Russian news agency TASS by the former "prime minister" of Abkhazia, Sergei Shamba.

"I'm letting you know that I am resigning as president in order to retain stability in the country," Khajimba was quoted as saying by Shamba.

Snap "presidential" elections will now be held on March 22.

Khajimba confirmed his resignation to the Russian news agency Interfax. Asked whether he will rerun in the next elections, the ex-"president" said that "time will tell."

Earlier, hundreds have been taking to the streets in Abkhazia to protest the results of the September elections.

The main argument of the opposition is that despite the fact that Khajimba had scored more votes than his opponent in the second round, he still only received 47 percent of the vote, while the law requires 50 percent + 1 of all votes.