United Abkhazia, the breakaway region’s ruling party, announced on July 22 that it would support in upcoming presidential election acting president Alexander Ankvab, Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, reported.
Meanwhile, chairman of the breakaway region’s Central Election Commission, Batal Tabagua, said that candidates running in the August 26 presidential election should take leave of absence during the electoral campaign.
Speaker of the breakaway region’s Parliament, Nugzar Ashuba, will be “an acting head of state” after Ankvab takes leave of absence, Apsnipress reported quoting Tabagua as saying on July 25. The CEC chairman did not specify the date, but said that Ankvab would take leave of absence at a later date than other candidates.
PM of the breakaway region Sergey Shamba and former vice president Raul Khajimba are two other candidates running in the election.