Runoff Parliamentary Vote in Breakaway Abkhazia

Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia holds on Saturday runoff elections for 20 out of 35 parliamentary seats.

Runoff in twenty single-mandate constituencies became needed after none of the candidates running in those districts garnered more than 50% of votes required to be declared an outright winner of the first round.

All 35 members of legislative body of the breakaway region are elected under the majoritarian system; Abkhazia has no party-list, proportional contest.

Only 13 candidates managed to gain an outright victory in the March 10 election.

Results of the first round in one constituency remains still disputed and repeat elections will be held in another single-mandate constituency – capital Sokhumi’s number one district – on May 6 because on March 10 voter turnout there was less than 25%, which is a minimum required for the vote to be valid.

Elections in the breakaway region are denounced as illegitimate by Tbilisi and the international community, except of Russia and few other countries, which have recognized Abkhazia and Georgia’s another breakaway region of South Ossetia.