Amid scandals and gunfire, Kremlin-backed Badra Gunba becomes Abkhazia’s president
Badra Gunba wins elections in Abkhazia
Badra Gunba, the government-backed candidate and successor to former president Aslan Bzhania, has won Abkhazia’s presidential election, securing his position as the Kremlin’s preferred choice. His victory in the March 1 runoff was marred by controversy and even gunfire at a polling station.
According to preliminary results announced by the Central Election Commission at noon on March 2, Gunba received 54.7% of the vote, while opposition leader Adgur Ardzinba secured 41.54%.
Voter turnout reached a record 70%, with just over 100,000 people casting their ballots..
Unlike the first round, which passed with relatively few incidents, the March 1 runoff took place in an extremely tense atmosphere.
From the early morning, various media outlets reported that many polling stations lacked ballots, meaning that not all ballots issued by the Central Election Commission (CEC) had reached their destinations. The whereabouts of the missing ballots remain unknown.
At several polling stations—including the one where Badra Gunba himself voted—ballot boxes were found unsealed.
Meanwhile, opposition observers claimed that at another station, unstamped ballots were discovered in an unsealed ballot box. As a result, the polling station was shut down.
The most shocking incident occurred in the village of Tsandrypsh, where a group of masked, armed men stormed a polling station. They overturned a ballot box, scattering some ballots on the floor while taking others with them.
As they fled, the attackers fired shots into the air before escaping in multiple vehicles. One of the cars was stopped at a police checkpoint, and two assailants were wounded and hospitalized.
Despite the turmoil and irregularities, Central Election Commission (CEC) chairman Dmitry Marshan insisted that the violations did not affect the outcome of the vote.
Throughout his campaign, Badra Gunba enjoyed unprecedented support from the Kremlin, which spared no material or administrative resources to ensure his victory.
Meanwhile, Russian media launched an aggressive smear campaign against opposition candidate Adgur Ardzinba, portraying him as an anti-Russian, pro-Western figure backed by Ankara.
Yet, despite this political offensive, Ardzinba still secured nearly 42% of the vote. According to Inal Khashig, editor of Chegemskaya Pravda, this result suggests that Gunba’s presidency will be far from comfortable.
“When the euphoria of victory fades and the harsh realities set in, Badra Gunba will have to address the 42% of voters who effectively cast their ballots against him.
Governing the republic in the old way, as his three predecessors did, will not be an option for Gunba.
Given the deadlock Abkhazia’s rulers have led it into, Gunba’s campaign slogan ‘For Stability’ sounds feeble.
At this point, ‘stability’ means an endless crisis.
That’s why real reforms are needed in almost every sphere. Only then will the word ‘stability’ take on a different, more constructive and life-affirming meaning,” says Inal Khashig
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