Standartnews: Moscow Presents Amended Agreement on NPP Belene

Standartnews: Moscow Presents Amended Agreement on NPP Belene

MOSCOW, December 10 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) gives special attention to the Abkhazian presidential elections that will be held on December 12. Even membership of CEC delegation that will go to the republic testifies to this. “CEC head Vladimir Churov, his deputy Stanislav Vavilov, CEC members Yevgeny Kalyushin, Valery Kryukov and Siyabshakh Shapiyev will be working at the elections as observers,” secretary of the Russian CEC Nikolai Konkin told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

He explained that Shapiyev will be simultaneously watching the progress of the Abkhazian presidential elections at a polling station organised in the Cherkessia republic. Besides, CEC member Vasily Volkov will perform observer functions at a polling station for the Abkhazian presidential election set up in Moscow.

A delegation of the State Duma lower house of Russia’s parliament led by the head of the house CIS affairs committee Alexei Ostrovsky and representatives of non-governmental organisations will also go to Abkhazia to monitor the elections.

On 12 December 2009 Abkhazia will hold its fourth Presidential election since the post of President of the Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994. Incumbent president Sergei Bagapsh is running for a second term. He competes against 4 opposition candidates: former Vice President and Prime Minister Raul Khajimba, who came second behind Bagapsh in the 2004 Presidential election, and newcomers Beslan Butba, Zaur Ardzinba and Vitali Bganba. Khajimba has stated that he, Ardzinba and Butba would support each other should one of them reach the second round of the election.

According to the Law on the Election of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia, candidates for the Presidency have to: possess Abkhazian citizenship; be of Abkhaz nationality; be fluent in the Abkhaz language; be no younger than 35 and no older than 65 years of age; be eligible to vote; have permanently lived in Abkhazia for the last five years up to the election day; have an account in a credit institution officially registered in Abkhazia.

Prospective candidates had to be nominated between 13 October and 2 November 2009. This could be done either by an interest group, which had to present a list of signatures, or by a political party registered with the Central Election Commission. The only parties registered in this way were United Abkhazia, the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia, the Party of the Economic Development of Abkhazia and the People’s Party. After the nomination period ended on 2 November, the Central Election Commission verified the signature lists and whether candidates satisfied the set requirements. To test the nominees' proficiency in Abkhaz, it established a language commission consisting of Aleksei Kaslandzia, Batal Khagush, Eva Tania, Adgur Skinkuba and Fatima Kvarchelia. Registration of the candidates had to be completed before 12 November and two days after their registration the Central Election Commission had to publish the list of nominees whose candidacy had been approved.

Five people were nominated for the presidency. On 5 November they successfully passed the Abkhaz language examination. Bagapsh and Khajimba were exempted from it as they had already passed a similar examination during the 2004 Presidential election, but they both volunteered to undergo it anyway. On 6 November, all five nominees were officially registered as candidates, and they received their certificates on 9 November.

Vitali Resh-ipa Bganba, doctor of Philosophy and Economics, with David Dasania as Vice Presidential candidate. Bganba was nominated by an interest group on 14 October.

Raul Jumka-ipa Khajimba, former Vice President, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, with Vasilii Avidzba as Vice Presidential candidate. Khajimba was nominated by an interest group on 19 October. On 20 October Khajimba received the additional support of the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia, Aruaa and Akhatsa.

Beslan Butba, businessman and former member of the People's Assembly, with former Minister of the Interior Almasbei Kchach as Vice Presidential candidate. Butba was nominated on 23 October by the Party of the Economic Development of Abkhazia, which he leads. Butba received the additional support of Iakub Lakoba, head of the People's Party and a candidate in the two previous presidential elections, and Vitali Bigvava, representative of the youth organisation Apsilaa.

Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh, incumbent President, with Prime Minister Alyksandr Zolotinska-ipa Ankvab as Vice Presidential candidate. Bagapsh was nominated on 27 October by United Abkhazia. On 18 November Bagapsh received the additional support of the Communist Party.

Zaur Ardzinba, head of the Abkhazian state shipping company, with former head of the Ochamchira District Khripsom Jopua as Vice Presidential candidate. Ardzinba was nominated by an interest group on 29 October.

One person was nominated who subsequently withdrew his nomination:

Jamalik Aiba. Aiba was nominated by an interest group on 23 October. On 26 October the Central Election Commission reported that Aiba had withdrawn his nomination.

Sergei Bagapsh and Raul Khajimba already competed for the presidency in the 2004 Presidential election. That election was narrowly won by Bagapsh, but this was disputed by Khajimba and his supporters. To end the severe crisis that followed Bagapsh and Khajimba reached an agreement under which Bagapsh became President and Khajimba Vice President. The arrangement was uneasy: Khajimba's Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia remained in opposition and Khajimba on various occasions supported the opposition's criticism of government policy.

Border and customs control in the passenger trains en route Azerbaijan-Russia and Russia-Azerbaijan have been simplified.