Raul Khadjimba
Encyclopedia
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 October 2004 presidential election
. Even though Khajimba had joined the government, the parties that had supported him did not and he was seen as the informal head of the opposition. During the second half of May 2009 a group of opposition parties expressed sharp criticism of government policy and on 28 May Khajimba resigned, stating that he shared the criticism. Khajimba again competed with Bagapsh for the Presidency in the 12 December 2009 election
, which he lost in the first round with a 15,32% second place.
Before becoming Vice President Khajimba had served as Prime Minister and as Minister of Defence of Abkhazia
under Abkhazia's first President Vladislav Ardzinba
.
agent, Khadjimba had previously served as both deputy prime minister (2001–2002) and defence minister (since 12 December 2002), before succeeding Gennady Gagulia
as Prime Minister on 22 April 2003. He remained Prime Minister until October 2004. He had also served as head of the Abkhaz security service from 1999 to 2001.
As then-President Vladislav Ardzinba
was seriously ill and did not appear in public during his term, Khajimba acted as a de facto head of state in his absence. In this role, he met a number of political leaders, including Igor Ivanov
, foreign minister of Russia
. He has been a sharp opponent of reunification with Georgia, and vehemently condemned Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's proposal for a two-state federation in May 2004.
, and was strongly endorsed by both outgoing president Ardzinba and Russian President Vladimir Putin
. Both men campaigned on his behalf and dedicated significant resources to assisting the Khadjimba campaign. However, opposition candidate Sergei Bagapsh
polled more votes on election day, in what was widely attributed as a backlash against the strong Russian influence in his campaign.
After the election, both Bagapsh and Khadjimba claimed victory, with Khadjimba alleging that electoral fraud in the pro-Bagapsh Gali region had been responsible for Bagapsh's win. Ardzinba soon dismissed Khadjimba as Prime Minister, replacing him with a compromise candidate, Nodar Khashba
, and two months of drawn-out disputes followed, involving public protests, court action and parliamentary proceedings.
In December 2004, Khadjimba and Bagapsh came to an agreement which would see the pair run as part of a national unity ticket in repeat elections, with Khadjimba running as Bagapsh's Vice-President. As part of this deal, the position of vice-president was given expanded powers covering defence and foreign affairs. The joint ticket easily won the January 2005 election
, winning more than 90% of the vote.
, likely to maintain ultimate control over the areas of policy nominally assigned to the vice-president.
The controversy resurfaced again in June 2008, when Khadjimba attended a congress of the Aruaa
veteran organisation, of which he is a member. The congress issued a statement criticizing the Bagapsh administration’s “multi-vector foreign policy”, referring to the talks with Georgian and Western diplomats, and called for greater ties with Russia. The pro-Bagapsh politicians from the Amtsakhara
veteran organisation described Khadjimba’s criticism of the government, in which he was a vice-president, “immoral”. Later that month, Khadjimba reiterated his stance towards Bagapsh’s foreign policy, stating that Abkhazia’s only protector could be Russia and using force would be inevitable for gaining control of the upper Kodori Valley
in northeastern Abkhazia, the only part of Abkhazia under Georgian control at the time. In August 2008, the Abkhazian military
did take the upper Kodory Valley by force
during the August 2008 war over South Ossetia
.
On 18 May 2009 the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia and Aruaa issued a press statement and on 20 May they gave a press conference with several other opposition parties, on both occasions voicing severe criticism over the achievements of the government and recent foreign policy decisions. On 28 May Khajimba resigned, saying that he agreed with the criticism, but attributing his failure to tackle corruption and improve security to lack of room for maneuvre and no support from the president Bagapsh whom he also accused of violating the 2004 powersharing agreement and criticized him for signing a border protection agreement with Russia in 2009.
reported that during the summer of 2009 Khajimba had entered negotiations with Beslan Butba
over forming an alliance for in the presidential election, but the pair fell out following the visit of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
to Abkhazia. Putin had met with Khajimba, but not with Butba, and Butba considered this an unfriendly act on the part of Khajimba. During the nomination period for candidates, Khajimba then tried to form a team with Ardzinba. The alliance would have combined Ardzinba's backing by part of the business community and his financial resources with Khajimba's elector popularity. The pair said they would run together during two meetings with voters, and the idea was that they would receive the joint nomination by the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia. According to the Kommersant, in the end the pair could not agree on what positions they would get. Khajimba wanted the Presidency, and offered Ardzinba to become Prime Minister, but this was not acceptable to the latter. The congress of the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia planned on 29 October was called off, and Ardzinba was instead nominated by an initiative group that day.
Khajimba had already been officially nominated for the Presidency by an interest group on 19 October, and received the additional support on 20 October of the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia, Aruaa
and Akhatsa. Khajimba picked Vasilii Avidzba as his Vice Presidential candidate.
Nevertheless, on 18 November Khajimba and Ardzinba announced that they would continue to coordinate their campaigns, and that they had appointed chairman of Aruaa
Vadim Smyr to lead this coordination. On 20 November, Khajimba stated that he and Ardzinba had different visions on coming to power, but that he didn't consider Ardzinba his opponent, and that in the case of a second round, he, Ardzinba and Butba would support each other.
A second round proved to be unnecessary, since incumbent President Sergei Bagapsh won a 61,16% first round victory. Khajimba came in second place with 15,584 votes, 15.32% of the total number cast.
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
, leading the oppositional Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia. Until 28 May 2009 Khajimba served as Vice President
Vice President of Abkhazia
The Vice President of the Abkhaz Republic, an partially recognized state, internationally regarded as a part of Georgia, is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of Abkhazia upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President...
following the power-sharing agreement reached with current president 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...
to end the crisis that followed the October 2004 presidential election
Abkhazian 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...
. Even though Khajimba had joined the government, the parties that had supported him did not and he was seen as the informal head of the opposition. During the second half of May 2009 a group of opposition parties expressed sharp criticism of government policy and on 28 May Khajimba resigned, stating that he shared the criticism. Khajimba again competed with Bagapsh for the Presidency in the 12 December 2009 election
Abkhazian presidential election, 2009
On 12 December 2009, Abkhazia held its fourth Presidential election since the post of President of the Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994. The election was won by incumbent president Sergei Bagapsh in the first round with 61% of the votes, thus gaining a second term in office. He was be...
, which he lost in the first round with a 15,32% second place.
Before becoming Vice President Khajimba had served as Prime Minister and as Minister of Defence of Abkhazia
Minister of Defence of Abkhazia
The office of Minister of Defence has been one of the most important in the Republic of Abkhazia due to the ongoing conflict with Georgia. The position was created 11 October 1992, shortly after the outbreak of the 1992-1993 war with Georgia...
under Abkhazia's first 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...
.
Early career
A former KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
agent, Khadjimba had previously served as both deputy prime minister (2001–2002) and defence minister (since 12 December 2002), before succeeding Gennady Gagulia
Gennady Gagulia
Gennady Gagulia is a two-time former Prime Minister of Abkhazia and the current head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.-Early career:...
as Prime Minister on 22 April 2003. He remained Prime Minister until October 2004. He had also served as head of the Abkhaz security service from 1999 to 2001.
As then-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...
was seriously ill and did not appear in public during his term, Khajimba acted as a de facto head of state in his absence. In this role, he met a number of political leaders, including Igor Ivanov
Igor Ivanov
Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov is a Russian politician and was Russian Foreign Minister from 1998 to 2004.- Early life :...
, foreign minister of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. He has been a sharp opponent of reunification with Georgia, and vehemently condemned Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's proposal for a two-state federation in May 2004.
2004 and 2005 Presidential elections
Khadjimba was tipped as the favourite to win the October 2004 presidential electionsAbkhazian 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...
, and was strongly endorsed by both outgoing president Ardzinba and Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
. Both men campaigned on his behalf and dedicated significant resources to assisting the Khadjimba campaign. However, opposition candidate 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...
polled more votes on election day, in what was widely attributed as a backlash against the strong Russian influence in his campaign.
After the election, both Bagapsh and Khadjimba claimed victory, with Khadjimba alleging that electoral fraud in the pro-Bagapsh Gali region had been responsible for Bagapsh's win. Ardzinba soon dismissed Khadjimba as Prime Minister, replacing him with a compromise candidate, Nodar Khashba
Nodar Khashba
Nodar Vladimirovich Khashba is a former prime minister of Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia and a former mayor of Sukhumi....
, and two months of drawn-out disputes followed, involving public protests, court action and parliamentary proceedings.
In December 2004, Khadjimba and Bagapsh came to an agreement which would see the pair run as part of a national unity ticket in repeat elections, with Khadjimba running as Bagapsh's Vice-President. As part of this deal, the position of vice-president was given expanded powers covering defence and foreign affairs. The joint ticket easily won the January 2005 election
Abkhazian presidential election, 2005
Presidential elections were held in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia on 12 January 2005.-Background:A Presidential election had been held 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...
, winning more than 90% of the vote.
Vice Presidency
However, in the aftermath of the election win, many analysts have suggested that Khadjimba's executive authority would be somewhat limited under the new arrangement, with Bagapsh and his Prime Minister, Alexander AnkvabAlexander Ankvab
Alyksandr Zolotinska-ipa Ankvab is an Abkhaz politician and businessman who has been President of Abkhazia since 2011. Under President Sergei Bagapsh, he previously served as Prime Minister from 2005 to 2010 and Vice-President from 2010 to 2011....
, likely to maintain ultimate control over the areas of policy nominally assigned to the vice-president.
The controversy resurfaced again in June 2008, when Khadjimba attended a congress of the Aruaa
Aruaa
Aruaa is an organisation in Abkhazia uniting veterans of the 1992-1993 war with Georgia. It was founded 10 May 2007. 534 people were present at its founding congress. The first Minister of Defence of Abkhazia Vladimir Arshba was unanimously elected Chairman of the organisation, and Vadim Smyr and...
veteran organisation, of which he is a member. The congress issued a statement criticizing the Bagapsh administration’s “multi-vector foreign policy”, referring to the talks with Georgian and Western diplomats, and called for greater ties with Russia. The pro-Bagapsh politicians from the Amtsakhara
Amtsakhara
Amtsakhara is an important political movement and party in Abkhazia, a de facto independent republic in Caucasus whose independence is recognized by Russia and Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru but whom most of the international community considers as a part of Georgia.Amtsakhara originally formed as an...
veteran organisation described Khadjimba’s criticism of the government, in which he was a vice-president, “immoral”. Later that month, Khadjimba reiterated his stance towards Bagapsh’s foreign policy, stating that Abkhazia’s only protector could be Russia and using force would be inevitable for gaining control of the upper Kodori Valley
Kodori Valley
The Kodori Valley is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, was the only corner of the post-1993 Abkhazia, directly controlled by the central Georgian government, which officially styles the area as Upper Abkhazia...
in northeastern Abkhazia, the only part of Abkhazia under Georgian control at the time. In August 2008, the Abkhazian military
Military of Abkhazia
The Abkhazian Armed Forces is the military of Abkhazia.The Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Abkhazian armed forced were officially created on 12 October 1992, after the outbreak of the 1992-1993 war with Georgia. The basis of the armed forces was formed by the ethnic Abkhaz National...
did take the upper Kodory Valley by force
Battle of the Kodori Valley
The Battle of Kodori Valley was a military operation in the Upper Kodori Valley, during the 2008 South Ossetia war, the only part of Abkhazia, which remained under Georgian control after the War in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993. Hostilities started, during the 2008 South Ossetia war, the Abkhazian...
during the August 2008 war over South Ossetia
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
.
On 18 May 2009 the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia and Aruaa issued a press statement and on 20 May they gave a press conference with several other opposition parties, on both occasions voicing severe criticism over the achievements of the government and recent foreign policy decisions. On 28 May Khajimba resigned, saying that he agreed with the criticism, but attributing his failure to tackle corruption and improve security to lack of room for maneuvre and no support from the president Bagapsh whom he also accused of violating the 2004 powersharing agreement and criticized him for signing a border protection agreement with Russia in 2009.
2009 Presidential election
The Russian newspaper KommersantKommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
reported that during the summer of 2009 Khajimba had entered negotiations with Beslan Butba
Beslan Butba
Beslan Butba is a businessman and opposition politician from Abkhazia. He owns Abkhazia's only private television station Abaza TV and is the chairman of the Party of the Economic Development of Abkhazia...
over forming an alliance for in the presidential election, but the pair fell out following the visit of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
to Abkhazia. Putin had met with Khajimba, but not with Butba, and Butba considered this an unfriendly act on the part of Khajimba. During the nomination period for candidates, Khajimba then tried to form a team with Ardzinba. The alliance would have combined Ardzinba's backing by part of the business community and his financial resources with Khajimba's elector popularity. The pair said they would run together during two meetings with voters, and the idea was that they would receive the joint nomination by the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia. According to the Kommersant, in the end the pair could not agree on what positions they would get. Khajimba wanted the Presidency, and offered Ardzinba to become Prime Minister, but this was not acceptable to the latter. The congress of the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia planned on 29 October was called off, and Ardzinba was instead nominated by an initiative group that day.
Khajimba had already been officially nominated for the Presidency by an interest group on 19 October, and received the additional support on 20 October of the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia, Aruaa
Aruaa
Aruaa is an organisation in Abkhazia uniting veterans of the 1992-1993 war with Georgia. It was founded 10 May 2007. 534 people were present at its founding congress. The first Minister of Defence of Abkhazia Vladimir Arshba was unanimously elected Chairman of the organisation, and Vadim Smyr and...
and Akhatsa. Khajimba picked Vasilii Avidzba as his Vice Presidential candidate.
Nevertheless, on 18 November Khajimba and Ardzinba announced that they would continue to coordinate their campaigns, and that they had appointed chairman of Aruaa
Aruaa
Aruaa is an organisation in Abkhazia uniting veterans of the 1992-1993 war with Georgia. It was founded 10 May 2007. 534 people were present at its founding congress. The first Minister of Defence of Abkhazia Vladimir Arshba was unanimously elected Chairman of the organisation, and Vadim Smyr and...
Vadim Smyr to lead this coordination. On 20 November, Khajimba stated that he and Ardzinba had different visions on coming to power, but that he didn't consider Ardzinba his opponent, and that in the case of a second round, he, Ardzinba and Butba would support each other.
A second round proved to be unnecessary, since incumbent President Sergei Bagapsh won a 61,16% first round victory. Khajimba came in second place with 15,584 votes, 15.32% of the total number cast.