Opinion: 'Kremlin has absolutely no interest in Aslan Bzhania returning to Abkhazia’s government'
Abkhazia’s new government
The formation of a new government in Abkhazia is dragging on, fuelling numerous rumours and speculations. One such rumour is that former president Aslan Bzhania, who was dismissed in November 2024, may be appointed either Secretary of the Security Council or Abkhazia’s ambassador to Russia.
However, according to Inal Khashig, editor-in-chief of the Chegemskaya Pravda newspaper, the Kremlin will go to great lengths to ensure that Aslan Bzhania is not given a role in the new government.
Inal Khashig expands on this view in his column, which we present here in an abridged version.
Inal Khashig:
Given that the new president, Badr Gunba, is effectively Aslan Bzhania’s successor, it would seem only natural for him to “find a position” for his predecessor within the new government.
But there’s one crucial detail: personnel decisions are no longer made solely by Gunba or his team. The philosophy, composition, and objectives of the new Abkhaz authorities will be coordinated with the Kremlin. More specifically — with Sergey Kiriyenko, the Kremlin’s point man on Abkhaz affairs in the Russian Presidential Administration..
And he is likely to approach this practically. In other words, in my view, personnel matters are directly tied to the tasks set before the new government.
For Moscow — which has grown tired of Abkhazia’s constant political instability and repeated overthrows of power — the top priority is to establish long-term stability in the republic.
I’ve written this before, and I’ll say it again: the new government of Abkhazia will be a technocratic one. It will not include figures associated with Abkhazia’s chronic political crisis.
That’s precisely why former president Aslan Bzhania will not be part of the new government — his reputation is simply too toxic. Including Bzhania would be a completely senseless and doomed idea. And the Kremlin has no interest in it whatsoever.
Why provoke the opposition unnecessarily and expose Badr Gunba to attacks, especially when Moscow clearly has high hopes for him?
But if, against all logic, Aslan Bzhania is handed a position of any kind, Badr Gunba will be in for serious trouble — and he’d best start building a fence around the presidential palace right now, lest he become the next (the fourth, to be exact) president to be overthrown…
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