No opposition in Abkhazia’s new Public Chamber: what could it mean?
A new composition of Abkhazia’s Public Chamber has been formed, with no representatives of the opposition included — opposition candidates failed to pass the selection process.
Under the established procedure, one third of the chamber’s members are appointed by the president. Another third is delegated by local authorities — city and district assemblies. The remaining third is then selected by the newly appointed members themselves through a рейтингового voting process, choosing from candidates nominated by civil society organisations.
The opposition media outlet Respublika points out that, formally, more than 90% of the “new” chamber consists of the same members as before. In effect, they voted themselves back in.
According to Respublika, responsibility for the absence of representatives from opposition-linked public organisations lies both with the chamber’s members and with the executive authorities, including the president.
“If a significant part of society is not represented in such institutions, the question arises: what is their purpose?
[Political] crises grow out of decisions like this — when, instead of a platform for diverse views, the Public Chamber turns into a closed club where members vote for one another,” Respublika writes.The outlet predicts that if tensions between the authorities and the opposition rise again — as they did in November 2024, leading to the early resignation of the then president — no member of the Public Chamber will be able to act as a mediator to resolve the conflict.
“You create the conditions for crises yourselves, and then call for peace and calm with innocent faces,” Respublika concludes.
The terminology, place names and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of this website.
No opposition in Abkhazia’s Public Chamber
