Parliamentary elections were held in
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
on 23 November 1996, with a second round on 7 December. There was also a simultaneous
referendum held amongst Abkhazian
Refugee
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. s.
Background
The election was held to replace the former
Abkhaz Autonomous Republic's
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ...
which had split during the
Georgian-Abkhazian conflict in 1993 with 28 deputies continuing in Abkhazia as the
Abkhaz Supreme Soviet. The remaining 24 formed a parliament in exile in
Georgia.
However,
international organisations and the most important international political leaders declared that the election would be invalid.
[
]
Electoral system
The elections were held using the two-round system; candidates had to receive over 50% of the vote in the first round to be elected, otherwise a second round would be held.
Voters could choose by crossing off all the names on the list of candidates that they didn't want to be the elected, except for the one they preferred.
Campaign
The number of registered candidates contesting the 35 seats was initially reported to be 85, three of whom being Georgian,
Reuters, 21 November 1996 All candidates ran as
independents.
[
]
Results
Of the 35 seats, 30 were filled already in the first round. These 30 MPs elected included 19 Abkhazians
Abkhazians (russian: Абхазы), or Abkhazs ( ab, Аԥсуаа, Aṕswaа, ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. A l ...
, four Russians, three Armenians, two Georgians
The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, G ...
, one Greek and one Kabardian.[Abkhazia]
Freedom House Voter turnout was reported to be 81%.
Referendum
In response to the elections, Georgia organised a referendum among refugees from Abkhazia, with polling stations opened in Moscow, St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, Podolsk and Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
in Russia, Kyiv in Ukraine, Trabzon in Turkey, Minsk in Belarus, Yerevan in Armenia, as well as in Greece and Israel.[ The Georgian government stated that over 99% of refugees agreed that the elections were invalid until refugees were allowed to return and its political status as part of Georgia was agreed.][
]
References
{{Abkhazian elections
Parliamentary elections in Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
Parliamentary
Non-partisan elections