Ardzinba Warns of Civil War
Outgoing Abkhaz de facto President Vladislav Ardzinba issued a statement on October 6 urging the Abkhaz population to maintain calmness and stability in the region. He also criticized the Abkhaz Central Election Commission?s (CEC) decision to appoint a re-vote in the Gali district.
Ardzinba said that the decision was taken by the CEC under pressure from the supporters of the opposition presidential candidate Sergey Bagapsh.
?The first-ever contested presidential elections in the Abkhazian Republic triggered a real threat of a civil war erupting,? reads a statement issued by the ailing Abkhaz leader.
The CEC yielded to opposition presidential candidate Sergey Bagapsh?s request on October 6 and approved a re-vote in the Gali district, scheduled for October 17, after the CEC rendered election results in all three precincts in the predominately Georgian populated district invalid.
Bagapsh?s main opponent, the pro-government presidential candidate Raul Khajimba, claimed that the elections in Gali were marred by widespread violations and hence demanded an annulment of the election results and the holding of a re-vote throughout the entire breakaway region.
Bagapsh argued that there were no violations in Gali, but as a compromise offered to run a re-vote in the Gali District alone.
