Abkhazia urged to implement urgent reforms ahead of presidential election
Abkhaz figures demand constitutional reform
In February 2025, Abkhazia is scheduled to hold early presidential elections. However, some argue that urgent constitutional reforms should come first. These reforms primarily aim to curtail the president’s powers, which are currently almost limitless. They would also address issues in the judiciary, local governance, and television.
A group of prominent public figures, scholars, cultural leaders, journalists, businesspeople, and politicians has championed this idea, presenting their proposal as the Manifesto on Reforms.
The need to revise the legislation has been a long-standing discussion in Abkhazian society. However, it has taken on renewed urgency following a recent political crisis. On 19 November, discontented citizens, led by the opposition, stormed the presidential palace and forced President Aslan Bzhania to resign early. His two predecessors, Alexander Ankvab in 2014 and Raul Khajimba in 2020, were ousted in similar scenarios.
The crisis arose from a Russian-Abkhaz investment agreement strongly promoted by Bzhania but widely regarded as highly disadvantageous and even dangerous for the republic. On the day unrest began, parliament was set to ratify the agreement. Its fate will now be decided by the new government.
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According to the authors of the manifesto, the ongoing political crisis, which has deeply divided Abkhazian society, has affected all aspects of life in the republic. It has undermined the moral and ethical values of the people, weakened the nation against internal and external threats, and created significant obstacles to socio-economic development.
“One of the main reasons for this crisis is the state’s political system, which grants boundless power and privileges to the elected president and their allies, while denying the rest of the population the right to a fair distribution of resources,” they state.
The manifesto highlights that Abkhazia’s current constitution, adopted in 1994 during a period of upheaval, is outdated and fails to meet contemporary challenges. It calls for an urgent rewrite before the next presidential elections:
“The reforms must result in new constitutional provisions that guarantee an effective system of accountability to the people for all branches of government: legislative, judicial, and executive. Unchecked abuse of power, which harms the interests of Abkhazian citizens, must be eradicated, and order, legality, and mutual respect must be restored to the socio-political life of the country.”
The authors of the manifesto propose the following reforms:
- Introducing a mixed (majoritarian-proportional) electoral system for parliamentary elections;
- Redistributing powers among the branches of government to transition to a mixed (parliamentary-presidential) system, granting parliament a central role in forming and overseeing the government;
- Strengthening the independence of the judiciary through reforms in the appointment process for judges to uphold this principle;
- Reforming local governance by introducing elections for the heads of district and city administrations;
- Establishing independent public television with a supervisory board composed of respected and impartial representatives of society.
The Abkhazian Lawyers’ Association has also issued a statement calling for urgent reforms. They propose establishing a parliamentary working group to reform the constitution and have expressed their readiness to assist in its work.
Additionally, representatives of Abkhazia’s intelligentsia have released their own appeal. In their view, the following areas require changes:
- The constitution, particularly regarding electoral legislation and the distribution of powers among branches of government;
- Legislation on local governance;
- Legislation on Public Abkhaz Television.
“Without implementing the above-mentioned extraordinary measures and holding presidential elections under an updated constitution, we will not be able to break the cycle of internal political crises or put Abkhazia on a path of steady and stable development,” the statement reads.
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Abkhaz figures demand constitutional reform
