Sukhumi, on January 13th, 2005
Abkhazia: presidential election "validated " by the central electoral Commission of Abkhazia.

Yesterday at the end of day, election was declared valid by the central electoral Commission of Abkhazia. According to the preliminary data made public by the commission, 68.000 voters would have gone to ballot boxes. The Commission hurried in effect to declare a sufficient rate of participation - more than 50 % of voters inscribed more a voice to acknowledge the validity of vote.

As for the Russian emissary, Serguei Baburin - vice-president of the Douma sent by Kremlin to assure the "monitoring " of this election not acknowledged by the international community, he declared this turn of polls " correspondent to international standards ".

Serguei Bagapsh, big favourite of presidential election - the second organized in three months on the territory abkhaze, declared itself yesterday evening satisfied of these first " democratic elections ". They mark in its sense the end of political crisis, and so the comeback to stability in the region. It was also pronounced " in favour of the incorporation of Abkhazia with Russia " which would be necessary for the region which " would have as no future without the Russian investments and without the incorporation of its legislation in the Russian lawful system ".

The results of election should be announced in the morning. A notice which could be made in a tense climate, following the example of palpable tensions for three months and reanimated yesterday on the occasion of the call to ballot boxes.

In the southern region of Gali, in ethnical Georgian majority, situation was very tense around polling stations. According to the international press, force of security armed with the going out president Vladislav Ardzinba would have controlled papers of voters' identity.

As for Tbilisi, she had unfolded the police reinforcements on her "borderline " with the separatist republic, after an incident happened the day before in a village of the bordering zone, notes the French daily The Barber today.



Sukhumi, on January 13th, 2005
Abkhazia: Serguei Bagapsh will have to share power with Raul Khajimba

The central electoral Commission of Abkhazia announced the win of big Favourite Serguei Bagapsh on the presidential election organized yesterday within the small separatist Abkhazian republic, on background of an arm wrestling between Russia and Georgia. New de facto Abkhazian president would have carried off about 91 % of voices, pointed out Batal Batagua, president of the electoral Commission.

The first date of the presidential calendar of Serguei Bagasph will be the formation of the new " government of national unit ". " If I carry off ?l' election a, the government of Abkhazia will be led by Alexander Ankvab ", has declared this morning Serguei Bagapsh to the news agency Interfax. The Russian businessman Alexander Ankvab had already occupied Interior minister's post abkhaze.

The new elected president will also have to share power with Raul Khajimba, his main rival during the last presidential election of October, 2004. Both men had reached a tacit agreement of distribution of power - Raul Khajimba who being able to occupy vice-president's post in case of win of Serguei Bagapsh-, December 6th, 2004 at the end of two months of a political crisis with rebounds which had then shaken the separatist republic of borders of the Black Sea. As for Iakoub Lakoba, leader of the Popular Party of Akhazie and only rival of Serguei Bagapsh in this last running in the presidency, it carried off 4,5 % of suffrages.

The results of polls are acknowledged neither by the Georgia, nor by the international community.



Sukhumi, on January 12th, 2005
Abkhazia: keeping of new presidential elections

On Wednesday, 12, at 8 h local time, the 186 polling stations of the republic not acknowledged by Abkhazia officially opened their doors to the voters of 35 electoral constituencies - Soukhoumi, the capital, counting her alone seven electoral constituencies and 24 polling stations.

For the second time in three months, Abkhazes is called in effect to ballot boxes to elect them de facto president.

Presidential election compares Iakoub Lakoba, leader of the Popular Party of Abkhazia in Serguei Bagapsh, candidate considered to be favourite this time.
After the rebounds of the political crisis of last Octobers and Novembers, after controversial presidential elections of October 3rd, 2004, S.Bagapsh is sensed in effect as the winning of this new turn of polls.
It is allied today in unison with Raul Khajimba, ancient rival and consequently whom, by common consent succeeded on December 6th, 2004 under the benevolent look of Kremlin, should crave for vice-president's post in case of election of S.Bagapsh.

But this new presidential election is always played on background of political tensions. On Tuesday, January 11th, on the eve of elections, rumours gave to understand that the going out president Vladislav Adrzinba and his prime minister Nodar Khashba could refuse to ratify electoral results - a win of the clan Bagapsh meaning a probable decline of their control on sections of Abkhazian economy.

Candidate Lakoba also threatened to refuse results. On January 10th, he had declared that electoral fraud supports to be envisaged, putting forward diminution as argument among registered students on electoral rolls since the polls of October, 2004: the official number of voters passing from 137.000 to 113.000.

According to official statistics of TSentrizbirkoma, 113.136 Abkhazes is called in effect to vote. Vote will end at 20 h.

The dispatch by Moscow of a group ' electoral "watchers " led by Serguei Babourin, the vice-president of the Duma, moreover provoked a deep reaction on behalf of Tbilisi.

Let us say that these new polls follow the crisis triggered off in Abkhazia, after presidential elections organized on October 3rd, 2004 and comparing two main candidates, S.Bagapsh and R.Khajimba.