Third president of Abkhazia

Spartak Zhidkov, Abkhazia. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

On December 26, 2012, Alexander Ankvab marked his 60th birthday. Moreover, it is 16 months since he was elected President of Abkhazia. And the term is big enough to sum up the results.

It is difficult to find a blank, dull politician in the Caucasus, but all three presidents of Abkhazia had to show themselves in such difficult and unusual situation that all of them can be called prominent people notwithstanding political estimation of their political activity. Alexander Ankvab overcame many obstacles on the way to presidency and demonstrated political talent and popularity among Abkhazian people. An outsider cannot be a head of a Caucasian republic. However, even a prominent politician has to prove his competence and preserve electorate’s support.

Alexander Ankvab is thought to be an ambiguous person in the Abkhazian political stage. A head is always a diplomat in the Caucasus – one has a reputation of a polite gentleman, the other is on friendly footing with employees, the third combines external severity with good nature. Ankvab didn’t match any scheme. His main disadvantage is thought to be extra acridness in relations with people, pitiless sarcasm and telling truth into face. These character peculiarities were thought to be the main obstacle on the way to presidency in summer 2011. Officials, social activists, and journalists were afraid of turning the president into an authoritarian leader who doesn’t want to listen to other people.

However, as Ankvab has been turning from a law enforcement officer into a politician, it appeared that he is not as simple as that. To understand the essence of the problem, to solve a problem of a person who comes to the president – that is the style of Ankvab’s working as the prime minister when in 5 years he admitted 15 thousand people (more than 6% of the republican population) and the president.

The president meets citizens every week (it disturbs the opposition the most). The tradition marks much higher democracy than it is typical for even small states. Not all liberal officials will personally ask for apologies for rudeness of their employees, bear unfair accusations by an opponent and keep kind mood toward him. Probably Ankvab has won people’s trust by a combination of firmness and serious attitude to his duties.

Ankvab fulfilled hopes which were laid on him as a strong leader. His success in the elections of 2011 was more than a victory in political competitions.

To be continued