Election Results

Yesterday, on the third anniversay of Russia's recognition of Abkhazia's independence, Aleksandr Ankvab was elected President of the Republic of Abkhazia.  Mr. Ankvab received 54.86% of the vote.  His rivals, Sergey Shamba and Raul Khajimba, received 21.04% and 19.83%, respectively. Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev has already called Mr. Ankvab to congratulate him on his victory.  

The election saw a strong turnout, with 71.92% of eligible voters participating.  I visited several polling stations in Novy Afon and Sukhum.  Also, I spoke to observers from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia and other nations.  Polling was well organized and the voting was characterized as free and fair.

As the news spread late last night of the result in Mr. Ankvab's favor, Sukhum was calm and peaceful.  A few supporters spread through town with Abkhaz flags attached to their cars and others could be heard toasting to Abkhazia's future.  Abkhazia, although small, is clearly both independent and democratic.  The maturity of democratic institutions in Abkhazia should serve as model to others in the Caucasus Region.  Congratulations!!

Sukhum at Sunset- Election Day, August 26, 2011

Election Tomorrow In Abkhazia

Tomorrow sees the Republic of Abkhazia going to the polls in an election to replace President Sergey Bagpash who died unexpectedly May 29.  The three candidates are Vice President Aleksandr Ankvab, Prime Minister Sergey Shamba and former Vice President Raul Khajimba.  Several polls were done early in August, but the outcome seems far from certain. 

The border crossing with Russia was busy all week with buses of tourists from Krasnodar, Rostov, Stavropol and as far as Moscow keeping the lines long.  The border is now busy around the clock.  Along with tourists, many election observers were crossing the border from Russia.  The Republic of Abkhazia looks to see observers from as many as 80 nations.  People here expect a free and fair election.

This week in Abkhazia saw warm, but pleasant days and nights.  Daytime highs of about 25 were prevalent in coastal areas.  The election was on people's minds, being a common topic of conversation.  However, it was far from the only issue being discussed.  Fresh fruit is ripening and the stalls and markets are full of fresh peaches, grapes,watermelons and apples.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

This afternoon, I walked around central Sukhum listening to the English Beat on my iphone.  Although I am sure  I was the only American in the capital listening to Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling singing "Stand Down Margret", that one American still outnumbered the Russian soldiers seen in the capital of supposedly "occupied" Abkhazia.  That got me to thinking about the things that are not seen or do not happen in the Republic of Abkhazia.  I have never been told not to photograph something.  I have never been told who to talk to or who to meet.  In fact, I have been encouraged to talk to whomever I want, including journalists.  It has been made clear to me that I can travel to any area in Abkhazia that I wish.  I take these things for granted.  But I realized with the prevailing media narrative in the West about Abkhazia, many people probably are laboring under false assumptions about Abkhazia.

I spent part of an afternoon this week at Amra Cafe.  Amra sits on a dock built over the Black Sea.  It has a spectacular view of the sea, the city and the mountains and a rustic charm.  It was so pleasant to be there, the only fault I can find was with my internet connection.  While I was trying to get connected, I met Albert and Viktor, shown in the above photo.  They were very friendly, even more when I told them I was from the U.S. Viktor is a polyglot who speaks not only Russian and Armenian, but also French, Italian and some English.  We talked about Abkhazia history for some time.  Also, we spoke about the recent death of President Bagapsh and the upcoming election.  The Abkhaz are engaged with current events, but calm.  Of course, this is nothing new. The election will be the 5th Presidential election in Abkhazia's short history.  Since Abkhazia became independent from Georgia, there has never been a violent or revolutionary transfer of power.  Abkhazia is building a civil and democratic society.

Senate Resolution on South Ossetia and Abkhazia

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution calling Abkhazia and South Ossetia "regions of Georgia occupied by Russia."  This is false.  I live in Abkhazia part-time and the Russian Army does not occupy it.  There were U.N. mandated Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia after the war of 1992-93.  Only after Georgia attacked South Ossetia in 2008 and made its aggressive military attentions clear did Russia build a base in Abkhazia.  But the base is for defensive purposes only and serves to protect Abkhazia from Georgian aggession. That this has been successful is evidenced by the huge increase in tourism that Abkhazia experienced in 2009. In the last 5 years in Abkhazia, I have seen Russian troops less than 5 times.  And the government of Abkhazia clearly makes its own decisions.   I know this because I have been working them to break investors and investment to the country.  Later this month, there will be an election to replace President Bagapsh, who died May 26.  It will be free and fair as all the elections have been in Abkhazia.

The resolution also calls for "peaceful resolution of the conflicts".   This statement appears very hypocritical. There is no conflict at the present time.  The only source of conflict in the post-Soviet environment has been the Republic of Georiga, which has repeatedly threatened and attacked both nations without provocation, most famously in 2008.  That attack would likely not have been possible without American aid, which allowed the Republic of Georgia to increase its military spending at the fastest rate in the world in 2007-08.  

Russia is said to occupy Abkhazia, but this is false.  I live in Abkhazia for part of each month and the Russian Army does not occupy it.  There were U.N. mandated Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia after the war of 1992-93.  Only after Georgia attacked South Ossetia in 2008 and made its aggressive military attentions clear did Russia build a base in Abkhazia.  But the base is for defensive purposes only and serves to protect Abkhazia from Georgian aggession.  That this has been successful is evidenced by the huge increase in tourism that Abkhazia experienced in 2009.  In the last 5 years in Abkhazia, I have seen Russian troops less than 5 times. And the government of Abkhazia clearly makes its own decisions.   

Does the U.S. Army occupy South Korea?  Most people would say no.  But if Russia is "occupying" Abkhazia, then the U.S must be regarded as an occupational power, too.  The truth is that Russia serves an important function of guaranteeing the peace.  A responsible person should ask the question: What would happen if Russia left and Georgia was rearmed by the American government, as some Senators propose?  

The U.S. Senate found time, despite the debt limit crisis, to pass this resolution.  It should be noted that not one of the Senators has ever been to Abkhazia and, as the only American businessman who spends significant time in Abkhazia, I was not called to testify on the issue.

Moscow- Sukhum, Abkhazia Direct By Train

Today, July 29, 2011 it became possible to travel from Moscow directly to Sukhum by train.  Tickets are available for purchase in Moscow, Gagra, Gudauta and Sukhum.  Trains will operate daily from today until October 18 when a new schedule will take effect.

This is a significant step and comes in the wake of repairs that were done to the rail line in Abkhazia earlier this year.  The rail link will make it easier for travelers who previously had to stop at Adler and go from there on to the border and seek transportation to their destination in Abkhazia.

The opening of passenger service together with the announcement of the removation of Sukhum's airport by Novaport show that Abkhazia's transportation links are improving quickly.

 Sukhum Train Station

Train- Russian Black Sea Coast

Coastline- Republic of Abkhazia