Abkhazia debates whether MPs should be required to speak Abkhaz as president struggles to win support
Abkhazia‘s parliament has rejected a proposal by President Badra Gunba to exempt some parliamentary candidates from the requirement to speak the Abkhaz language.
For now, Gunba’s proposal to introduce different implementation dates for the language requirement has failed to secure the backing of the parliamentary committee on state and legal policy. The final decision, however, will be made by the full parliament.
The language issue has proved so sensitive that the parliamentary committee meeting was held behind closed doors, despite parliamentary rules requiring it to be open to the media. After the meeting, parliament’s press service issued only a brief statement saying the committee had declined to recommend the bill for approval at its first reading.
President Badra Gunba has proposed delaying the implementation of the law requiring parliamentary candidates to speak Abkhaz for candidates who are not ethnic Abkhaz.
The requirement for parliamentary candidates to be proficient in Abkhaz was adopted in 2021 and is due to come into force on 1 January 2027. Gunba, however, wants to postpone its application for candidates of other ethnic backgrounds until 2032.
With the next parliamentary elections approaching, the issue is becoming increasingly pressing.
The proposal to introduce different language requirements has triggered strong criticism in Abkhazia.
“Attempts to amend, reinterpret or postpone the deadlines, let alone divide the citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia along ethnic lines in the application of a constitutional law, are not only unfounded and unjustified but also unconstitutional,” the public organisation People’s Force said in a statement.
Former parliament speaker Valery Kvarchia has also appealed directly to President Badra Gunba, urging him to withdraw the bill.
“We must not remain captive to the degrading part of our society that wraps anti-Abkhaz and unconstitutional initiatives in attractive packaging. Among them are people who hope to run for president, parliament or ministerial posts, believing that, as ‘internationalists’, they will gain the support of the non-Abkhaz section of the population,” Kvarchia said.
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Should Abkhazia’s MPs be required to speak Abkhaz?
