Parliamentary elections were held in Abkhazia on 10 March 2012, with a second round on 24 March. Voters elected the fifth convocation of the People's Assembly.

Background This was the first parliamentary election since the August 2008 war and the subsequent diplomatic recognition of Abkhazia by Russia, Nicaragua, Nauru, Venezuela, Vanuatu and Tuvalu.

On 22 February, President Alexander Ankvab survived an assassination attempt as his motorcade came under attack on the road from Gudauta to Sukhumi. Though he survived, two bodyguards were killed. Ankvab blamed "mafia, criminal groups" and the "political circles" around them for the attack. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it was an attempt to destabilise the country's political situation prior to the election.

Parties Candidates could be nominated by initiative groups and by officially registered political parties (in at most a third of all constituencies, that is 11).

Candidates In total, 156 candidates were nominated. 35 candidates were nominated by a political party and 126 by an initiative group (with some overlap). Of the candidates nominated by a political party, 11 were nominated by United Abkhazia, 11 by the Forum for the National Unity of Abkhazia, 7 by the Communist Party and 6 by the Party for the Economic Development of Abkhazia. The Central Electoral Commission approved the registration of 151 candidates. Of these, 3 withdrew their candidacy before election day. Of the remaining 148 candidates, 125 were ethnically Abkhaz, nine Armenian, eight Russian, two Greek, two Georgian, one Ossetian and one Kabardin. 16 were female.

Campaign On 6 March, the Russian Community of the Republic of Abkhazia called upon voters in constituencies 7, 11 and 23 to vote for the Russian candidates Natalya Kayun, Andrei Kulikov and Viktor Vasilev, the first two of which had previously been nominated by United Abkhazia.

Monitors There were 46-100 international observers from nine countries.http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/362886.html According to the CEC, the monitors would be from Russia (from governmental and non-governmental organisations), the Commonwealth of Independent States, South Ossetia, Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh. Other states whose monitors were invited but had not confirmed attendance are: Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Tuvalu. Georgia steadfastly refused to observe the election on the premise that they claim Abkhazia is under "de facto Russian occupation" and that Georgian refugees who fled Abkhazia (by some accounts up to 50% of the population) are ineligible to vote.

Results There were 174 pollings stations. First round turnout was 44.5%. Only 13 constituencies achieved a majority to choose an MP; the other 22 constituencies would face a run-off.

Second round turnout was 46.21% in 20 constituencies. Of the 40 candidates for the 20 seats in the second round three of nine incumbents held on to their seats. Amongst the 20 members were three MPs from People’s Unity Forum of Abkhazia, two from United Abkhazia the 15 from civic initiative groups. The result will be finalised when approved by a court. Amongst minority representatives, Vagharshak Kosyan and Robert Yalyan were joined by journalist Levon Galustyan to have a total of three Armenian MPs, according to Khachik Minosyan, the Chairman of the Union of Abkhazia Armenians. Galustyan said the election was flawless and praised his fellow Armenian challenger from district 20.

The following table presents an overview of all the candidates, the votes they received in the first round, the second round run-off winners and the reruns.

ConstituencyCandidatePartyFirst roundSecond roundNotes Votes % Votes %1 Roland Gamgia 648 35.14 Election annulledTalikh Khvatish 454 24.62Daur Achugba 338 18.33Aidar Kvitsinia 195 10.57Yekaterina Glazkova 115 6.24Eduard Keshanidi 60 3.25Pavel Bganba 34 1.842 Aslan Kobakhia 746 27.09 No data ElectedAkhra Abukhba 547 19.86 No data Fazylbei Avidzba 458 16.63 Vakhtang Pipia 451 16.38 Temur Tabagua 301 10.93 Akhra Aristava 153 5.56 Dmitri Shlarba 98 3.56 3 Beslan Tsvinaria 488 25.40 No data ElectedRita Lolua 424 22.07 No data UnseatedSatbei Kvitsinia 328 17.07 Vianor Tuzhba 176 9.16 Ilia Gamisonia 126 6.56 Mukhamed Bli 90 4.69 Sergei Arshba 86 4.48 Arkadi Jinjia 85 4.42 Anatoli Pilia 74 3.85 Irina Mikvabia 44 2.29 4 Amiran Lagvilava 502 25.34 No data Valeri Agrba 393 19.84 No data ElectedVianor Ashba 350 17.67 Lasha Sakania 263 13.28 Batal Kobakhia 176 8.88 UnseatedLeila Tania 164 8.28 Ivan Tarba 133 6.71 5 Akhra Bzhania 866 43.08 No data ElectedValeri Ardzinba 469 23.33 No data Iakub Lakoba 222 11.04 Daur Tarba 193 9.60 Andrei Tuzhba 136 6.77 Mzia Beia 124 6.17 6 Artur Mikvabia 635 31.31 No data ElectedIrina Agrba 574 28.30 No data UnseatedAstamur Adleiba 552 27.22 Nadir Bitiev 185 9.12 Marina Gumba 82 4.04 7 Zaur Iazychba 706 44.60 No data ElectedRuslan Kharabua 395 24.95 No data Astamur Kakalia 224 14.15 David Chagava 115 7.26 Natalia Kaiun 79 4.99 Pavel Leshchuk 64 4.04 Unseated8 Beslan Gubaz 883 40.71 No data ElectedDona Malia 613 28.26 No data Almasbei Kchach 556 25.63 Stanislav Aiba 117 5.39 9 Valeri Bganba 1,029 54.59 ReelectedAstan Agrba 856 45.41 10 Anzor Kokoskeria 815 41.20 No data ElectedTamaz Khetsia 636 32.15 No data Nodari Kvitsinia 368 18.60 Shota Bagatelia 159 8.04 11 Beslan Bartsits 566 22.18 No data ElectedVitali Azhiba 553 21.67 No data Gennadi Sichinava 517 20.26 Vadim Smyr 471 18.46 Aleksei Romanenko 141 5.53 Andrei Kulikov 109 4.27 Renad Benia 98 3.84 Tatiana Pavlova 52 2.04 Leonti Bazba 45 1.76 12 Vagarshak Kosyan 1,276 60.50 ElectedValeri Mayromyan 726 34.42 UnseatedAram Kosyan 107 5.07 13 Georgi Agrba 611 39.42 No data ElectedAstamur Aiba 477 30.77 No data Kherson Dashelia 357 23.03 Valeri Bartsyts 88 5.68 Beslan Dbar 17 1.10 14 Guram Barganjia 912 56.51 ElectedAleksei Tania 702 43.49 15 Mikhail Sangulia 865 48.06 No data ReelectedAslan Lakoba 637 35.39 No data Remzik Chirikbaia 298 16.56 16 Zaur Avidzba 867 34.72 No data Leonid Chamagua 666 26.67 No data ElectedAnri Jergenia 555 22.23 Viacheslav Ardzinba 409 16.38 17 Dmitri Gunba 1,010 49.95 No data ElectedGivi Gabnia 788 38.97 No data Lev Shamba 224 11.08 Unseated18 Akhra Pachulia 799 52.84 ElectedVitali Smyr 713 47.16 Unseated19 Fazlibei Avidzba 620 58.33 ElectedZhuzhuna Bigvava 443 41.67 20 Galust Trapizonyan 654 42.08 No data Levon Galustyan 651 41.89 No data ElectedFarat Mikaelyan 136 8.75 Valeri Bganba 113 7.27 21 Aida Ashuba — — Election annulledValeri Kvarchia — —Diana Pilia — —Dmitri Sevastidi — —22 Robert Yaylyan 711 52.55 ElectedSergei Matosyan 360 26.61 UnseatedAlbert Kapikyan 282 20.84 23 Said Kharazia 1,041 51.51 ElectedAleksandr Studenikin 379 18.75 David Gabnia 307 15.19 Viktor Vasilev 294 14.55 Unseated24 Adgur Kharazia 528 37.90 No data ReelectedAleksei Lataria 504 36.18 No data Ziulfi Achuzba 361 25.92 25 Daur Arshba 778 36.92 No data Unseated. From district Nº 30Yuri Zukhba 743 35.26 No data ReelectedZaur Zarandia 586 27.81 26 Temur Logua 839 47.11 No data ElectedKhrips Jopua 475 26.67 No data Daur Tsvizhba 289 16.23 Zaur Adleiba 178 9.99 Unseated27 Nugzar Ashuba 449 29.16 No data UnseatedAppolon Gurgulia 384 24.94 No data ElectedAlmas Kvaratskhelia 382 24.81 Ramiz Tabagua 276 17.92 Klara Sakania 49 3.18 28 Temur Kvitsinia 737 55.46 ReelectedAdgur Kakoba 236 17.76 Tamaz Gogia 205 15.43 Andrei Anua 151 11.36 29 Otar Tsvizhba 1,631 68.70 ElectedGrigori Latsuzhba 520 21.90 Aleksandr Adleiba 223 9.39 30 Raul Khajimba 1,311 74.74 ElectedDaur Ferizba 331 18.87 Anzor Argun 112 6.39 31 Kan Kvarchia 457 42.28 No data ElectedAleksandr Chengelia 271 25.07 No data UnseatedAlkhaz Manargia 242 22.39 Tengiz Malandzia 111 10.27 32 Emma Gamisonia 1,621 67.68 ReelectedIrakli Bzhinava 412 17.20 Vadim Kvachakhia 174 7.27 Beslan Bagatelia 157 6.56 Joni Gularia 31 1.29 33 Akhra Kvekveskiri 808 47.47 No data ElectedRuslan Kishmaria 520 30.55 No data Avtandil Chkadua 374 21.97 34 Nodik Kvitsinia 1,050 62.09 ElectedSergei Berulava 379 22.41 Ameran Akhsalba 262 15.49 35 Bezhan Ubiria 1,105 74.76 ReelectedNato Butbaia 373 25.24

Aftermath Rerun in constituency no. 1 The first round of the election in constituency no. 1 was declared invalid because the turnout had failed to surpass the threshold of 25%. On election day, the Constituency Election Commission originally declared that turnout had been 25.01%. However, after a complaint by two candidates that a mistake had been made in the calculation of the turnout, the Central Election Commission ordered the Constituency Election Commission to recheck the protocols. The corrected turnout was found to be 24.9%, invalidating the election.

On 19 March the Central Election Commission announced that the rerun would be held on 6 May. Four out of seven of the original candidates were nominated again: Daur Achugba, Roland Gamgia, Yekaterina Glazkova and Talikh Khvatish. They were joined by one new candidate, businessman Beslan Eshba. All were successfully registered. Eshba won the rerun with 1932 out of 3413 votes (56.61%), against 782 for Gamgia, 520 for Khvatysh, 47 for Achugba and 43 for Glazkova. Turnout was significantly higher than during the original election, at 44.94%.

Rerun in constituency no. 21

On 29 March, the Supreme Court of Abkhazia invalidated the election in constituency no. 21 and ordered a rerun. The original count had given Aida Ashuba a slim first round majority of 401 votes out of 795 (50.44%), but after a complaint by the campaign team of runner up Valeri Kvarchia, the election commission of precinct 1 held a recount. In the recount, 46 more ballots were found to be invalid, causing Ashuba's vote share to fall below 50% and making a second round run-off between Ashuba and Kvarchia necessary. Ashuba then issued a complaint with the Central Election Commission as his observers had not been present during the recount. The Central Election Commission agreed with the complaint and requested the precinct and constituency election commissions to uphold the original count. When the local election commission refused to comply, the Central Election Commission brought the matter to the Supreme Court.

During the court proceedings it was established that contrary to election law, the ballot bag had not been sealed, and that during the recount, supporters of Kvarchia as well as Security Council and Interior Ministry officials had been present. The representative of the office of the Procecutor General argued that this constituted a breach of election law, that the irregularities in the transport and storage of election ballots meant that determining the correct election result was now impossible, and that both voting protocols should be declared invalid.

The repeat election was set for 20 May, with the nomination period running from 31 March to 20 April and the registration period from 20 April to 10 May. Both Aida Ashuba and Valeri Kvarchia were nominated again by initiative groups. They were joined by Givi Adleiba, who had not originally participated. All three candidates were successfully registered. The rerun saw a much higher turnout than the original election of 1271 from a total of 1770 registered voters (71.8%). No candidate managed to score a first round victory in the repeat election as Kvarchia received 573 votes, Ashuba 502 and Adleiba 159 (37 votes being invalid). In the second round on 4 June, Kvarchia defeated Ashuba with 679 votes against 623, out of a total of 1334 — there had been 1779 registered voters.

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