Abkhazia has started registering candidates for president. Raul
Hajimba, chairman of the Forum of the People’s Unity, was the first to
register, RIA Novosti reports.
Hajimba was the vice-president in 2005-2009.
Sergey Bagapsh, the second president, died aged 62 in a Moscow clinic
on May 31 after lung surgery. Bagapsh had headed the republic since
2005. He won elections twice. Abkhazia became an independent state in
2008, during his presidency. Vice-President Alexander Ankvab,
appointed on August 26, has been the acting president since Bagapsh's
death.
Candidate registration will end on July 17.
