Abkhaz opposition calls for government purge of allies of former president
In Abkhazia, opposition groups have called on President Badra Gunba to remove from government officials seen as close to former president Aslan Bzhania.
According to a resolution adopted at a meeting of opposition organisations, these officials are “blocking positive change and undermining trust in the authorities”, and their continued presence in government is “incompatible with a course toward renewal and national reconciliation”.
In particular, the opposition is calling for the resignation of presidential administration chief Beslan Eshba and Interior Minister Rabert Kiut.
In their view, because both Eshba and Kiut were part of Aslan Bzhania’s inner circle, they bear the same responsibility as the former president for promoting what the opposition describes as an “anti-Abkhaz agenda”.
By this, opposition groups refer to the promotion of laws and agreements they consider unfavourable for the republic. Chief among them are legislation allowing Russian citizens to purchase apartments in Abkhazia and a Russian–Abkhaz agreement granting benefits and guarantees to Russian investors.
Attempts to pass these measures led to the opposition’s seizure of the presidential palace in November 2024 and the early resignation of Aslan Bzhania.
Following new presidential elections, Badra Gunba — a member of Aslan Bzhania’s political team — won with active support from Moscow. However, his reputation is seen as relatively untainted: unlike Beslan Eshba and Rabert Kiut, who actively backed Bzhania’s initiatives, Gunba was regarded as a largely passive figure.
Bzhania’s team has also been criticised for labelling opposition representatives and civil society groups as “anti-Russian forces”.
According to Aslan Bartsits, chairman of the Forum of National Unity of Abkhazia party, officials associated with the “Bzhania system” should step down because they continue to pursue “a policy of dividing the nation and undermining sovereignty.”
Another opposition figure, Akhra Bzhania, leader of the public organisation Akhatsa, said the republic’s senior leadership was “sending negative signals about Abkhazia’s independence” and was effectively “leasing the homeland to Russia in the long term”. He cited, among other issues, a recent scandal involving the issuance of Russian domestic passports on Abkhaz territory.
Meanwhile, Eshsou Kakalia, deputy chairman of the public organisation Amdgylvrv, claimed that people within Badra Gunba’s inner circle were “undermining Abkhaz–Russian relations”. He said he was prepared, if necessary, to present a “named list” of those responsible.
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Abkhaz opposition calls to remove Bzhania allies
