A day after inauguration, new Abkhaz leader Alexander Ankvab appointed on September 27 Leonid Lakerbaia as prime minister of the breakaway region, replacing Sergey Shamba who was a runner up in the last month’s snap presidential election, Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, reported.

Lakerbaia is a veteran of the Abkhaz politics, who held various positions in the breakaway region’s government since early 1990s; he was the first deputy PM in 1992-1995 and again held this post since 2005 and in between briefly served as the region’s foreign minister in mid-90s and was a lawmaker twice – in 1990s and in 2000-2002.

Shamba, also a veteran of the Abkhaz politics, announced after the August 26 presidential election in which he garnered 21% of votes, that he intended to retire from politics.

Other ministers in the breakaway region’s cabinet have also filed for resignation, but continue to perform duties before new PM nominates candidates for the ministerial posts.