Badra Gunba secured 54.73% of the votes in the second round of the so-called presidential elections, based on data from the so-called Central Election Commission of occupied Abkhazia.
Gunba previously served as the so-called vice president under Aslan Bzhania and assumed the role of acting so-called president following Bzhania’s resignation. His opponent, Adgur Ardzinba, received 41.54% of the vote.
Dmitry Marchani, chairman of the separatist regime’s so-called Central Election Commission, acknowledged irregularities in the voting process but stated they had not impacted the results. Meanwhile, local media reported an armed attack at one of the polling stations, leaving two people injured.
The self-proclaimed election commission reported voter turnout exceeding 70% across 152 polling stations in the occupied territory, with two additional voting locations opened in Russia—one in Moscow and another in Cherkessk.
Over 134,000 voters were reportedly registered for the so-called elections.
The Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality said, “The second round of the illegally held so-called presidential elections in occupied Abkhazia represents another gross violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The Ministry said “the so-called elections cannot express the will of the people and therefore lack any legal basis.”
“Against the background of ongoing occupation and in conditions where internally displaced persons and refugees from the Abkhazia region are still not allowed to safely and in dignity return to their homes, and where the fundamental rights and freedoms of the local indigenous population are grossly and systematically violated, the so-called elections cannot express the will of the people and, accordingly, lack any legal foundation.
“The Georgian government is steadfastly and consistently implementing its firmly declared peace policy, one of the strategic directions of which, along with de-occupation, is the implementation and further activation of the reconciliation and engagement process toward the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. This aims to improve the socio-economic conditions of the conflict-affected population and deepen cooperation and trust restoration based on common interests between artificially divided communities,” the statement noted.
