Bagapsh Comments on Situation in Abkhazia

In an interview with the Russian news agency Rosbalt on November 14 Abkhaz opposition candidate Sergey Bagapsh spoke about the current political crisis underway in breakaway Abkhazia.

Bagapsh told the news agency that his victory in the regional October 3 presidential election was not a result of people voting for him, but rather of them voting “against that system which was formed in Abkhazia after the war. People want changes, economic reforms, crime control.”

Sergey Bagapsh also commented on the events that occurred on November 12, wherein a crowd of pro-Bagapsh supporters stormed several governmental buildings in Sokhumi, the capital of Abkhazia. Bagapsh warned that his opposition, supporters of pro-government candidate Raul Khajimba, will use the death of Tamara Shakril, a 78-year old linguist who was shot and killed while storming the Parliament building, to “accuse [pro-Bagapsh supporters] of all sins.”

Bagapsh went on to dismiss claims that those who opposed pro-government candidate Raul Khajimba, in turn supported Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili as “foolish” and added that he does not intend to “fight” with Russia.

“We know that nothing can be made in Abkhazia without Russia,” Bagapsh said during the interview, “without Russia, Georgia would swallow us.