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the parliament (not recognised by Tbilisi, just as all elections in the territory aren’t), alleged.
Russian formal and informal representatives are clearly supervising the ongoing power transition.
Rashid Nurgaliev, deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, organised and attended a meeting between Khajimba and his rivals on January 11. Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov visited the capital of Abkhazia, Sokhumi, and met Khajimba’s rivals one day later. At that point, Khajimba was set to announce a state of emergency in the breakaway republic, but he changed his plans overnight and resigned.
Khajimba surprisingly refused to meet Surkov, according to claims reported by Georgia Today.
Surkov, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin, is a key strategic counsellor in shaping Kremlin policy towards Abkhazia, fellow Georgian breakaway territory South Ossetia and pro-Russian regimes in Eastern Ukraine.
The storming of the presidential building on January 9 sparked the crisis situation that resulted in his resignation. It was organised by Akhra Avidzba, who from 2014 to 2016 headed the illegal armed group Pyatnashka in eastern Ukraine fighting against the Ukrainian army, according to UAwire.org.
Before his arrival in Abkhazia on January 9, Bzhania underwent lengthy medical treatment in Russia due to a sharp deterioration of health, which his supporters linked to the claimed poisoning. He returned to Sokhumi on January 9.
On January 12, Surkov landed in Sokhumi to settle the rising tensions that had turned acute.
In related news, on January 13, the parliament authorised Prime Minister Valery Bganba to act as president following Khajimba’s resignation. The decision went through unanimously, with 34 lawmakers voting.
2.5 Separatist Abkhazia to hold election for new leader after appeal court scraps previous vote marred by alleged fraud
Self-proclaimed separatist breakaway Georgian region Abkhazia will hold polls to install a new leader on March 22 following the appeal court scrapping on January 10 of the previous vote in the wake of protests by the opposition and a move by the majority of lawmakers to appeal to the so-called president, Raul Khajimba, to resign.
Khajimba has signed a decree on voluntary resignation.
Two days of tense protests in Sokhumi led to the storming of the presidential administration building by opposition activists on January 9. The opposition insists the vote that elected Khajimba was fraudulent.
According to Abkhaz sources quoted by Civil.ge, the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Rashid Nurgaliyev arrived in the occupied region on January 10 to settle the conflict.
9 GEORGIA Country Report February 2020 www.intellinews.com
