Vyacheslav Tsugba
Encyclopedia
Viacheslav Mikhail-ipa Tsugba (born 1944) was the third Prime Minister of the Republic of Abkhazia
(a de facto independent republic of Georgia
) from December 1999 to May 2001. Before his appointment as Prime Minister, Tsugba had headed the Central Election Committee, which had overseen the internationally unrecognised simultaneously held October 1999 presidential election
and constitutional referendum
.
of what was then the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1970, Tsugba graduated form the Sukhumi Pedagological Institute. In 1978, he became aspirant member of the Academy of Social Sciences of the CPSU Central Committee. From 1973 until 1975, Tsugba was 1st secretary of the Abkhazian regional committee of the Komsomol
, from 1975 until 1978 he was 1st secretary of the Ochamchira
raikom of the CPSU, and from 1978 to 1989 Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Abkhazian ASSR.
's re-election as President, Viacheslav Tsugba was appointed Prime Minister on 20 December 1999.
Tsugba's time as Prime Minister was marked by a relative thawing of tensions between Abkhazia and Georgia. While Tsugba, like all the other Prime Ministers, strongly opposed any idea of reunification with Georgia, and highly criticised cross-border raids by Georgian paramilitaries, he managed to demilitarise the conflict to a degree. This was highlighted by an agreement signed in July 2000, where both sides agreed not to settle the conflict by force. He tended to negotiate alongside foreign minister Sergei Shamba, rather than handling negotiations himself.
In the first months of 2001, Tsugba was increasingly criticised by the opposition, led by the Amtsakhara
movement. On 15 May 2001 Tsugba handed in his resignation. This remained secret for two weeks, and rumours that Tsugba had handed in his resignation which surfaced towards the end of May were denied by the President's press spokesman Raul Agrba. But on 30 May, President Ardzinba accepted Tsugba's resignation.
In his resignation request, Tsugba's explanation was that "serious problems have arisen in connection with lawmaking, the professional qualifications of personnel at all levels of administration, from the highest to the lowest, with their accountability and the need to improve management and increase strict control and institute an uncompromising fight against crime."
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...
(a de facto independent republic of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
) from December 1999 to May 2001. Before his appointment as Prime Minister, Tsugba had headed the Central Election Committee, which had overseen the internationally unrecognised simultaneously held October 1999 presidential election
Abkhazian presidential election, 1999
Presidential elections were held in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia on October 3, 1999 at the same time as a referendum on the constitution. Outgoing President Vladislav Ardzinba stood unopposed in the election. The People's Party had nominated former Foreign Minister Leonid Lakerbaia, but...
and constitutional referendum
Abkhazian constitutional referendum, 1999
The 1999 Abkhazian constitutional referendum took place on 3 October 1999 at the same time as presidential elections in the then-internationally unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia. The referendum asked the population to vote on the constitution adopted in 1994...
.
Early life and career
Viacheslav Tsugba was born on 1 January 1944 in the village of Aatsy in the Gudauta districtGudauta district
Gudauta district is a district of Abkhazia, Georgia’s breakaway republic. It corresponds to the eponymous Georgian district. Its capital is Gudauta, the town by the same name...
of what was then the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1970, Tsugba graduated form the Sukhumi Pedagological Institute. In 1978, he became aspirant member of the Academy of Social Sciences of the CPSU Central Committee. From 1973 until 1975, Tsugba was 1st secretary of the Abkhazian regional committee of the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
, from 1975 until 1978 he was 1st secretary of the Ochamchira
Ochamchira district
Ochamchira district is a district of the Republic of Abkhazia. Its capital is Ochamchira, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the Ochamchire district in the de jure subdivision of Georgia, as some of its former territory is now part of Tkvarcheli district, formed by de facto...
raikom of the CPSU, and from 1978 to 1989 Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Abkhazian ASSR.
Prime minister
After Vladislav ArdzinbaVladislav 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...
's re-election as President, Viacheslav Tsugba was appointed Prime Minister on 20 December 1999.
Tsugba's time as Prime Minister was marked by a relative thawing of tensions between Abkhazia and Georgia. While Tsugba, like all the other Prime Ministers, strongly opposed any idea of reunification with Georgia, and highly criticised cross-border raids by Georgian paramilitaries, he managed to demilitarise the conflict to a degree. This was highlighted by an agreement signed in July 2000, where both sides agreed not to settle the conflict by force. He tended to negotiate alongside foreign minister Sergei Shamba, rather than handling negotiations himself.
In the first months of 2001, Tsugba was increasingly criticised by the opposition, led by 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...
movement. On 15 May 2001 Tsugba handed in his resignation. This remained secret for two weeks, and rumours that Tsugba had handed in his resignation which surfaced towards the end of May were denied by the President's press spokesman Raul Agrba. But on 30 May, President Ardzinba accepted Tsugba's resignation.
In his resignation request, Tsugba's explanation was that "serious problems have arisen in connection with lawmaking, the professional qualifications of personnel at all levels of administration, from the highest to the lowest, with their accountability and the need to improve management and increase strict control and institute an uncompromising fight against crime."