With cordial smiles and vigorous handshakes three candidates running in the early presidential elections in breakaway Abkhazia signed on July 27 a joint agreement for “clean and fair election”, pledging not to use “dirty tricks” against each other during the campaign.

Acting president of the breakaway region Alexander Ankvab; prime minister Sergey Shamba and former vice president Raul Khajimba signed the agreement upon the initiative of Forum of People’s Unity of Abkhazia, an opposition party supporting Khajimba in the election, Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, reported.

Text of the agreement reads that the candidates vow “to act only in line with the state interests of the Republic of Abkhazia and its people; not to allow undermining legitimacy and actual results of the election”; to conduct “open and fair” campaign and “to be open for any questions asked by voters and journalists.”