Abkhazian President Bzhaniya resigns after mass protests

Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhaniya has announced that he was resigning following intense protests. Vice President Badra Gunba will serve as Abkhazia’s acting president until the next elections in 2025.

Bzhaniya’s official press service shared a signed document saying that he had agreed to resign ‘in order to maintain the stability and constitutional order in the country’. 

Later on Tuesday, there were unconfirmed reports that he had left Abkhazia. A video surfaced shortly after, in which Bzhaniya refuted the claims and said he was still in his home village of Tamysh.

Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab has also submitted his resignation.

The announcement followed many hours of negotiations between Bzhaniya and other government officials and members of the opposition. Earlier, Bzhaniya had suggested that he was open to resigning, but then also said he would also run for president again in the election scheduled for the spring of 2025. 

It is unclear if he still plans to be a presidential candidate. In light of Bzhaniya and Ankvab’s departure, the election may be held earlier than originally planned. 

The protest movement was sparked by a controversial legislation that would give Russians preferential treatment to invest in Abkhazia, which culminated with demonstrators storming the parliament building on Friday, when the legislation was scheduled to be considered. 

Contrary to some speculation, both opposition leaders and ordinary protesters have emphasised that the protests were not motivated by anti-Russian sentiment, but rather were specifically targeted against Bzhaniya’s government and the legislation. 

Amid the ensuing chaos, the parliament postponed voting on the legislation, and then suspended legislative work altogether. Bzhaniya’s government also pledged to abandon the investment bill. 

But the opposition’s demands increased as anger rose, and opposition leader Adgur Ardzinba said he would not be placated unless Bzhaniya resigned ‘unconditionally’. 

Later on Friday, Bzhaniya and other officials fled, and at least 13 people were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces. Protesters remained encamped in the building over the weekend, declaring they refused to leave unless Bzhaniya resigned. 

As it became more clear that Bzhaniya had lost control of the situation, he said he would consider resigning if protesters vacated the parliament. He also said he would reverse his decision if the protesters did not leave by Tuesday. According to RFE/RL, the protesters had dispersed from the area as of Tuesday morning. 

On Tuesday afternoon, the parliament voted to approve of Bzhaniya’s resignation. 

The acting government, headed by Gunba, will remain in place until a new election is held. 

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.