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Abkhazia struggles with controversies in presidential poll

Abkhazian President Vladislav Ardzinba dismissed his prime minister, presidential candidate Raul Khadzhimba, to dispel any accusations of favoritism following the separatist region's inconclusive election.

Ardzinba named Nodar Khashba, former mayor of the separatist capital, Sukhumi, to the position late on Wednesday, according to reports in Russian media.

Abkhazia's first openly contested presidential election ended in confusion as election officials repeatedly delayed announcing vote totals and Khadzhimba, the government-supported candidate, alleged widespread violations.

Disputed district

On Wednesday, the Central Election Commission agreed to throw out the results from Sunday's vote in one district and ordered a repeat vote there -- a move that critics say violates the law.

Ardzinba accused opposition candidate Sergei Bagapsh, who was the acknowledged leader in the race, of sparking a crisis that could lead to civil war by appealing for the new vote.

"We are facing one task -- to ensure that the elections are conducted normally and to transfer power to the new, legally elected president," Khashba was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency.

He said he planned to meet yesterday with the presidential candidates "to discuss the situation surrounding the presidential elections in order to return it to the legal path," the Interfax news agency said.

Abkhazia's Supreme Court has been asked to issue a decision on the legality of holding a repeat vote in only one district, as opposed to the entire region.

The Gali district, where the revote is scheduled for Oct. 17, was the site of most of the alleged voting violations. It is a region dominated by ethnic Georgians.

Abkhazia has run its own affairs since driving out Georgian government troops in 1993, cultivating close ties with Russia. The region is not recognized internationally, and Georgian officials have called the election illegal.

All five candidates pledged to maintain Abkhazia's de facto independence. Khadzhimba, the dismissed prime minister, had the backing of the Kremlin as well as the support of Ardzinba, who had run Abkhazia since its time as an autonomous region inside the then-Soviet republic of Georgia.

Impartiality

Khashba said on Abkhazian television that the president's decision to dismiss Khadzhimba was made in a bid to counter "the appearance of paralysis in the government" and the impression that the government wasn't acting impartially toward all candidates.

The election focused on promises to improve Abkhazia's poor economy and win more international recognition. Most Abkhazians are unemployed and crime is rampant.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has vowed to re-establish control by his government not only in Abkhazia, but also in South Ossetia, another breakaway area with close links to Russia.
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