by Maria Platonova, Sukhumi. Exclusively for VK
Abkhazia held parliamentary polls last week. Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Chrikba commented on the results of vote and gave an image of the political forces in the republic in an interview with VK.
- There are two popular explanations why the first round of parliamentary polls was so peaceful. The first is that the parliamentary polls are traditionally more peaceful than the presidential ones. The second is that the executive authorities have grown stronger and so legislative elections get less attention. What is your version?
- I see no reasons to believe so far that the executive power fulfils the functions of the Abkhaz parliament. I reckon that there was some passivity of the population, most likely because the elections were parliamentary, not presidential where the stake is bigger. Secondly, there is a certain electoral exhaustion, there were presidential polls in Abkhazia in 2009-2010, presidential and parliamentary polls in Russia. Besides, the weather was not very good, it had been snowing since morning. All these factors, I assume, affected the vote activity.
- What is your evaluation of the latest elections?
- They were competitive elections, moreover, I saw no signs of use of administrative resources. In general, the elections were pretty unpredictable. And the reasons why one party was elected instead of the others needs special analysis.
- How did the alignment of powers change after the off-year presidential polls? Did it somehow affect the alignment at the parliamentary campaign?
- I would say that we got a totally different team after Alexander Ankvab took office. There was simply some regrouping, new people appeared, but the team in general was the same. I believe that it did not affect the pre-electoral campaign for the People’s Assembly.
- There is a widespread view that Alexander Ankvab is a harsh politician, a securocrat whose policy of turn of the screw is aimed at fighting clans and criminal groups.
- It is more of a myth. The truth is that he is a willful man, a tough politician, and the biggest politician in Abkhazia at the moment. And the screws are not turned within social programs, but within domestic security, to give thieves less space for action. Concerning clan struggles, I have doubts about the properness of the term “clan”. Abkhazia has no clans. We have regional difference, have family ties. But the latest parliamentary polls show that it is not the determining point. Fragmentation is not based on family or regional characteristics and not even on the party's characteristics. Personal preferences are what play the big role. Alexander Ankvab is indeed a securocrat, but he is a man of action who is used to fishing in turbid waters, which is not very comfortable in Abkhazia today. The recent assassination attempt on the president proves the idea. It was carried out by those who do not want to co-exist with a strong and ambitious president.
To be continued
