Abkhaz leader, Raul Khajimba, who took office last week, appointed on September 29 Beslan Butba as new prime minister of the breakaway region, Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, reported.

Butba, 54, a businessman, who is a founder and leader of Party of the Economic Development of Abkhazia, owns breakaway region’s only private television, Abaza TV.

His party was a member of a group of four opposition parties and seven public movements and organizations, Coordinating Council, which led protests against Abkhaz leader Alexander Ankvab, forcing the latter to resign.

Butba will now have to select new members of the cabinet to propose candidates for approval to new Abkhaz leader Raul Khajimba.

After Ankvab’s resignation on June 1, his close ally Leonid Lakerbaia had to also resign from PM’s post; finance minister Vladimir Delba served as an acting prime minister of the breakaway region since then.

Also on September 29, Khajimba appointed Zurab Margania as new chief of the state security service of the breakaway region. Margania previously served as deputy chief of the security service in charge of border guard.

Margania has replaced on the post of the chief of the security service Aslan Bzhania, who was Khajimba’s main rival in the August 24 early presidential election.