Pro-Kremlin Victory: Badra Gunba Secures Presidential Win in Contested Abkhazia Elections

Pro-Russian politician Badra Gunba has been announced as the victor of the presidential runoff election in the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, according to officials on Sunday.

Although Abkhazia is largely regarded as part of Georgia by the international community, it has effectively been under Russian control since a brief conflict in 2008 between Georgia and Russia.

Gunba secured 54.73% of the votes in the runoff, while opposition leader Adgur Ardzinba garnered 41.54%, as reported by Dmitry Marshan, the head of the regional election commission.

Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his congratulations to Gunba, stating that the people of Abkhazia had demonstrated their «free popular will.»

No candidate achieved a majority in the initial round of voting on February 15, necessitating the runoff.

The region has experienced heightened tensions since November when demonstrators forced the pro-Kremlin president Aslan Bzhania from office over a controversial Russian investment bill that critics claimed would result in unregulated development along the Black Sea.

Bzhania is the third leader of Abkhazia to resign following protests since 2014.

Gunba previously served as vice president and acting leader, while Ardzinba, a former economy minister, aligned himself with the protesters while maintaining support for relations with Russia.

Days before the first round of voting, Gunba traveled to Moscow for discussions with Russian officials, including top diplomat Sergei Lavrov, a move that Ardzinba’s supporters criticized as unfair competition.

The second round, which took place on Saturday, faced a temporary disruption when masked assailants stormed a polling station in a northwestern town, threatening election officials.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, responsible for examining significant crimes, announced on Saturday that it was looking into «attacks on Russian citizens» amid the electoral process.

The government of Tbilisi condemned the election, labeling it an illegal act and a severe infringement of its sovereignty.

During and following a conflict triggered by the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Abkhaz separatists forcibly displaced tens of thousands of Georgians from the region.