Abkhazia had been preparing for the 2012 parliamentary elections for a long time. Preparations began in December 2009, when President Sergey Bagapsh won the presidential campaign. Since that time the parliamentary elections have been considered by the Abkhazian opposition as the last chance for revenge. the unexpected death of the president in May 2011 gave the opposition an unexpected chance, but they couldn’t use it. Alexander Ankvab became President in August 2011, and the opposition began to pin its hopes on the parliamentary elections.
The 2012 elections are important for Abkhazia both in the international and internal political spheres. On the one hand, Abkhazia had to show again that the republic is fulfilling all the democratic demands, and that international observers could participate in the voting process. On the other hand, the elections had to answer the question: will the new parliament be oppositional or loyal to the president?
The elections are the first parliamentary elections after recognition of Abkhazia’s independence by Russia. Attention on election campaigns is still high. Even though there were fewer observers than at the presidential elections (46 people from 9 countries), the level of monitoring was high.
This time they were sure in Abkhazia that second rounds would be called in at least 50% of the districts. As the result, only 13 deputies out of 35 were elected straight away. Traditionally, the majority of candidates competed for mandates in the capital, and here none of candidates has achieved a complete victory yet. In the regions – from the Russian to the Georgian borders – the results of the elections were varied: in some places the winners won by a wide margin, but in several regions rivals were in advance only by fractions of a percentage point.
However, the electorate turnout was low – 44.5%, in comparison with 71.9% at the presidential elections in August 2011. This fact is interesting in comparison with the electoral presence in Abkhazia on March 4th 2012, when the presidential elections in Russia took place. The majority of the republic’s citizens are citizens of the Russian Federation. This time on March 4th the ballot stations were full from early morning and until 8 o’clock p.m. 90.94% of the people voted for Vladimir Putin. The population of Abkhazia is sure that Putin and Medvedev’s tandem is the best guarantee of the independence and security of the republic. The elections on March 10th were held in much tenser atmosphere. Everybody understood that the results of the elections could influence stability.
Some international observers noted that people didn’t like the form of the ballots. In Abkhazia you should cross out all the candidates, leaving only one. The Russian system, which presupposes indicating only the candidate you vote for, seems to Abkhazians more comfortable. The Abkhazian parliament is elected according to the majority system, and considering the small number of residents, many candidates are well known to voters and could be their acquaintances. And sometimes it is too hard to cross out candidates.
The Abkhazian electorate votes not for a party or a program, but for a person. The main factor for Abkhazians is not the promises of the candidate, but his and his team’s behavior.
However, step by step competition between the parties has become tenser, and the political system has become more difficult. This has led to further democratization, and the international observers admitted it. Many were surprised by the level of participation of various civil organizations in the observing process. International observers noted the professionalism of the coverage of the elections by journalists. They admitted an absence of violations.
Even though not everybody is satisfied with the results of the elections, it should be admitted that another election campaign in Abkhazia is being held according to international standards. It concerns access to the mass media by candidates and the opportunity to participate in debates.
As for surprises in the first round, first of all, the failure of the pro-governmental party “United Abkhazia” was a surprise. Its candidate Daur Tarba didn’t go into the second round. More than half of the candidates from “United Abkhazia” dropped out; only Guram Bargandzhia became a deputy. At the same time, only one candidate from the opposition Forum of Peoples Unity could get a mandate – the leader of the Abkhazian opposition, Raul Khadzhimba. He won in his native town of Tkuarchal with 73% of the votes.
Despite the relative success of the opposition, it is clear that the old leaders of the Khadjimbists and Shambaists can't celebrate it. New faces have appeared in parliament. Their success was a surprise for both the authorities and the opposition. It makes future political games even more complicated.
Some Abkhazian politicians and journalists have many times declared the necessity of reforming the election system. This time the results of voting caused discussion of turning to party list voting. The results of the first round of the elections showed further evolution of the political system of Abkhazia, as it is obvious that a reshuffle of political forces is inevitable. On the other hand, they showed a high level of democracy in the republic, as unexpected results of the elections mean that the authorities do not interfere with the voting process. This is the main achievement of recent years, the main success after the independence of Abkhazia.
Spartak Zhidkov, Sukhumi. Exclusively to VK
