Abkhazian presidential election, 2005
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections were held in the unrecognized
Republic of Abkhazia on 12 January 2005.
in Abkhazia on 3 October, but had resulted in a prolonged conflict over the results between the two main contenders, Raul Khadjimba
, who had been Prime Minister and who was backed by the seriously ailing outgoing President Vladislav Ardzinba
and by Russia, and Sergei Bagapsh
, the main opposition candidate who had received a narrow majority of the votes.
On 5 December 2005 Bagapsh and Khadjimba agreed to hold new elections. In these elections they would run on a joint ticket, with Khadjimba as vice presidential candidate. The pair garnered over 90% of the votes, and so there was no need for a second round.
suspended the membership of Sergei Bagapsh, as required by the Abkhazian constitution since he had become President.
Diplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
Republic of Abkhazia on 12 January 2005.
Background
A Presidential election had been heldAbkhazian presidential election, 2004
On 3 October 2004 Abkhazia held its second Presidential elections since the post of President of the Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994, and the first that were competitive. Election law prohibited incumbent President Vladislav Ardzinba from running for a third term and he instead backed...
in Abkhazia on 3 October, but had resulted in a prolonged conflict over the results between the two main contenders, Raul Khadjimba
Raul Khadjimba
Raul Jumka-ipa Khajimba is a politician from Abkhazia, leading the oppositional Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia. Until 28 May 2009 Khajimba served as Vice President following the power-sharing agreement reached with current president Sergei Bagapsh to end the crisis that followed the...
, who had been Prime Minister and who was backed by the seriously ailing outgoing President Vladislav Ardzinba
Vladislav Ardzinba
Vladislav Grigori-ipa Ardzinba was the first President of Abkhazia. A historian by education, Ardzinba led Abkhazia to de facto independence in the 1992-1993 War with Georgia, but its de jure independence from Georgia remained internationally unrecognised during Ardzinba's two terms as President...
and by Russia, and Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh was the second President of the Republic of Abkhazia. He was Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999 and was later elected as President in 2005. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election...
, the main opposition candidate who had received a narrow majority of the votes.
On 5 December 2005 Bagapsh and Khadjimba agreed to hold new elections. In these elections they would run on a joint ticket, with Khadjimba as vice presidential candidate. The pair garnered over 90% of the votes, and so there was no need for a second round.
Post-election developments
On 2 June 2005, United AbkhaziaUnited Abkhazia
United Abkhazia is a political party in Abkhazia. United Abkhazia was founded on March 25, 2004 as a socio-political movement, with the specific goal of presenting a single opposition candidate for the October 2004 presidential elections....
suspended the membership of Sergei Bagapsh, as required by the Abkhazian constitution since he had become President.