Sergei Bagapsh
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Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh, ka, სერგეი ბაგაფში, russian: Сергей Васильевич Багапш, translit=Sergey Vasilyevich Bagapsh (4 March 1949 – 29 May 2011) was an Abkhaz politician who served as the second
President of Abkhazia The position of president of Abkhazia was created in 1994. Before the office of president was created the head of state position was known as the chairman of Parliament between 1992 and the creation of the 1994 constitution. Before the position ...
from 12 February 2005 until his death on 29 May 2011. He previously served as
Prime Minister of Abkhazia The prime minister of Abkhazia is the ''de facto'' head of government of the partially recognized Republic of Abkhazia, that is ''de jure'' part of Georgia. History Government of President Vladislav Ardzinba While the presidency was held by ...
from 1997 to 1999. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election. Bagapsh's term as Prime Minister included the 1998 war with Georgia, while he oversaw both the recognition of Abkhazia by Russia and the
Russo-Georgian War The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...
during his presidency. Born in 1949 in
Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...
, Bagapsh became a businessman following the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
, as well as a representative of Abkhazian interests in Russia. Bagapsh became Prime Minister of Abkhazia in 1997, overseeing a brief, but successful, war with Georgia during a high point of tensions and the displacement of 30,000 Georgian civilians. In 2004, Bagapsh founded the
United Abkhazia United Abkhazia ( ab, Аԥсны Акзаара, russian: Единая Абхазия) is a political party in Abkhazia. United Abkhazia was founded on March 25, 2004 as a socio-political movement, with the specific goal of presenting a single opp ...
party in opposition to then-President
Vladislav Ardzinba Vladislav Ardzinba ( ab, Владислав Арӡынба, ka, ვლადისლავ არძინბა; 14 May 1945 – 4 March 2010) was the first ''de facto'' President of Abkhazia. A historian by education, Ardzinba led Abkhazia t ...
. The same year, Bagapsh ran for President against
Raul Khajimba Raul Jumkovich Khajimba ( ab, Рауль Џьумка-иҧа Ҳаџьымба, ka, რაულ ჯუმკას-ძე ჰაჯიმბა; born 21 March 1958) is an Abkhazian politician, and served as President of Abkhazia from 25 September ...
, Ardzinba's choice, and originally was forecast as losing to Khajimba. A political crisis followed, with the Supreme Court of Abkhazia declaring Bagapsh the winner and protests against the election both by supporters of Bagapsh and Khajimba. The two eventually ran on a national unity ticket, with Bagapsh becoming President and Khajimba becoming Vice President in 2005. As President, Bagapsh lobbied for the international recognition of Abkhazia, eventually receiving receiving recognition from Russia in 2008 following the successful capture of the
Kodori Valley The Kodori Valley, also known as the Kodori Gorge ( ka, კოდორის ხეობა, ab, Кәыдырҭа, Kwydyrta), is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia (country), Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, pop ...
in the Russo-Georgian War by Russian and Abkhazian forces. Following the country's recognition by Russia, widespread investment by Russian businesses and pressure to privatise assets drew both support and criticism. Bagapsh successfully won a second term against Khajimba before dying of heart failure on 29 May 2011, due to complications from a surgery to remove cancerous growths on his lung.


Early life and career

Sergei Bagapsh was born on 4 March 1949 at
Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...
in the
Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц ...
. Throughout most of his life, he had lived in Abkhazia. In his youth, Bagapsh was a member of the Georgian basketball team. Bagapsh graduated from the Georgian State University of Subtropical Agriculture in Sukhumi. During his studies he worked first, in a wine cooperative and later as a security guard for the state bank. In 1972, he fulfilled his military service, worked as the head of a
sovkhoz A sovkhoz ( rus, совхо́з, p=sɐfˈxos, a=ru-sovkhoz.ogg, abbreviated from ''советское хозяйство'', "sovetskoye khozyaystvo (sovkhoz)"; ) was a form of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union. It is usually contrasted wit ...
following which he became instructor with the Abkhazian regional committee of the
Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
. In 1978, Bagapsh became responsible for information in the central committee of the Komsomol's Georgian branch and in 1980, first secretary of the Abkhazian Regional Committee. In 1982, Sergei Bagapsh became secretary general of the Communist Party in the
Ochamchira District Ochamchira District is a district of the partially recognised Abkhazia. Its capital is Ochamchire, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the Ochamchire district in the de jure subdivision of Georgia, as some of its former terr ...
. After the fall of
communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, Bagapsh became a businessman and the representative of the Abkhazian government in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. From 1995 until 1997, Bagapsh was First Deputy Prime MInister of Abkhazia. On 9 November 1995, Bagapsh was seriously wounded in an attack.


Prime Minister

Sergei Bagapsh was appointed to the office of
Prime Minister of Abkhazia The prime minister of Abkhazia is the ''de facto'' head of government of the partially recognized Republic of Abkhazia, that is ''de jure'' part of Georgia. History Government of President Vladislav Ardzinba While the presidency was held by ...
on 29 April 1997. Georgian-Abkhazian tensions during Bagapsh's term in office reached a height in May 1998, following attacks by Georgian insurgents on peacekeeping forces from the
Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
. Subsequently, a military conflict erupted between CIS and Georgian insurgent forces. In the subsequent war, sometimes referred to as the "Six-Day War", Abkhazian forces eliminated the insurgents, and 30,000 Georgian civilians fled Abkhazia.


2004 presidential election

From 2000 until 2004, Sergei Bagapsh was the managing director of the Abkhazian state-owned power company
Chernomorenergo Chernomorenergo is a state-owned power company of Abkhazia. It is responsible for the distribution of electricity in Abkhazia and operates the Inguri hydroelectric power station. It is currently headed by Aslan Basaria. It is only Russian plant ...
. During the same period, he began to emerge as a likely opposition candidate in the lead-up to the 2004 presidential election. In early 2004, he became one of three leaders of the newly founded opposition party,
United Abkhazia United Abkhazia ( ab, Аԥсны Акзаара, russian: Единая Абхазия) is a political party in Abkhazia. United Abkhazia was founded on March 25, 2004 as a socio-political movement, with the specific goal of presenting a single opp ...
. On 20 July 2004,
United Abkhazia United Abkhazia ( ab, Аԥсны Акзаара, russian: Единая Абхазия) is a political party in Abkhazia. United Abkhazia was founded on March 25, 2004 as a socio-political movement, with the specific goal of presenting a single opp ...
joined forces with Amtsakhara, another important opposition party, and the two named him as their joint candidate for the coming October presidential elections, beating out other hopefuls, such as former foreign minister Sergey Shamba. In the elections, Bagapsh and his main opponent,
Raul Khajimba Raul Jumkovich Khajimba ( ab, Рауль Џьумка-иҧа Ҳаџьымба, ka, რაულ ჯუმკას-ძე ჰაჯიმბა; born 21 March 1958) is an Abkhazian politician, and served as President of Abkhazia from 25 September ...
, disputed the results. The Abkhaz Electoral Commission originally declared Khajimba to be the winner, with Bagapsh a distant second, but the Supreme Court later found that Bagapsh had actually won with 50.3% of the vote. The court then reversed its decision when Khajimba's supporters stormed the court building. At one point, Bagapsh and his supporters threatened to hold their own inauguration on 6 December 2004. However, in early December, Bagapsh and Khajimba reached an agreement to run together on a national unity ticket. New elections were held on 12 January 2005, with this ticket easily winning. Under the agreement, Bagapsh ran for president and Khajimba ran for vice-president. Following Bagapsh's election, Russia placed an imports ban on Abkhazia, leading to several tangerines destined for Russian markets rotting at the border. The presidential election and subsequent political crisis was termed by some, including the BBC, as the "Tangerine Revolution", both as a reference to the
Rose Revolution The Rose Revolution or Revolution of Roses ( ka, ვარდების რევოლუცია, tr) was a nonviolent change of power that occurred in Georgia in November 2003. The event was brought about by widespread protests over the ...
in Georgia the year prior and Abkhazia's tangerines.


Recognition of Abkhazia by Russia

In August 2008, the
Russo-Georgian War The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...
began following the 2008 Russo-Georgian diplomatic crisis. Following the war, Abkhazia gained control over the
Kodori Valley The Kodori Valley, also known as the Kodori Gorge ( ka, კოდორის ხეობა, ab, Кәыдырҭа, Kwydyrta), is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia (country), Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, pop ...
, as well as recognition by Russia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Following Russia's recognition of Abkhaz independence, Russian businesses began to invest extensively within the country, particularly in real estate, infrastructure, and energy. Pressure began mounting on Bagapsh from Russian sources to hasten economic privatisation in preparation for the
2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
, while Abkhazian political opponents accused him of selling off Abkhazian assets.


2009 Presidential election

Bagapsh first addressed the matter of his candidacy in the 12 December 2009 presidential election when, during a press conference in Moscow on 18 April 2009, he announced that he would probably make use of his constitutional right to run for a second term. Bagapsh was nominated on 27 October by
United Abkhazia United Abkhazia ( ab, Аԥсны Акзаара, russian: Единая Абхазия) is a political party in Abkhazia. United Abkhazia was founded on March 25, 2004 as a socio-political movement, with the specific goal of presenting a single opp ...
, with Prime Minister
Alexander Ankvab Aleksandr Zolotinskovich Ankvab ( ; ab, Алықьсандр Золотинска-иԥа Анқәаб, ka, ალექსანდრე ზოლოტინსკის ძე ანქვაბი, russian: Алекса́ндр Золот ...
of
Aitaira Aitaira ( ab, Аиҭаира; lit. ''Revival'') is a public association in Abkhazia. It is co-chaired by former Prime Minister Leonid Lakerbaia. History Aitaira was originally a socio-political movement in opposition to the Government of Presi ...
as his vice presidential candidate. On 18 November, Bagapsh received the additional support of the
Communist Party of Abkhazia The Communist Party of Abkhazia (CPA) ( ab, Аԥсны Акомунисттә Апартиа; ka, აფხაზეთის კომუნისტური პარტია) is a political party in Abkhazia. The party leader is Lev Shamb ...
.


Death

In May 2011, cancerous growths were discovered on Bagapsh's lung. On 21 May, Bagapsh underwent surgery in a
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
clinic. Though the growths were successfully removed, Bagapsh died on 29 May due to heart failure that resulted from what was described as "complications" from the surgery. After the surgery, doctors discovered he had cancer.
Alexander Ankvab Aleksandr Zolotinskovich Ankvab ( ; ab, Алықьсандр Золотинска-иԥа Анқәаб, ka, ალექსანდრე ზოლოტინსკის ძე ანქვაბი, russian: Алекса́ндр Золот ...
took over as acting president with an
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
scheduled to be held on 26 August.


Reactions

Abkhaz parliament speaker
Nugzar Ashuba Nugzar Nuri-ipa Ashuba ( Abkhaz: Нугзар Нури-иҧа Ашәба, ka, ნუგზარ აშუბა) is a senior politician from Abkhazia. He was Minister of Culture from 1986 until 1992 and the first Chairman of the State Repatriati ...
told Russian state television that, although the death was completely unexpected, the situation remains calm. Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
offered his condolences saying: "Bagapsh was a loyal supporter of friendship and alliance with Russia, and he tirelessly worked to deepen close bilateral ties between our countries."


Legacy

A state commission was installed to perpetuate the memory of Sergei Bagapsh. On 26 January 2012, the City Council of
Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...
unanimously accepted a proposal by Mayor Alias Labakhua to rename the Square of the
Constitution of the USSR During its existence, the Soviet Union had three different constitutions in force individually at different times between 31 January 1924 to 26 December 1991. Chronology of Soviet constitutions These three constitutions were: * 1924 Constitut ...
after Bagapsh.


See also

*
Bagapsh Government The Government of President Sergei Bagapsh was the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia from 2005 until 2011. Composition Changes Most of the cabinet members were first appointed after President Bagapsh came to power in 2005. Foreign Ministe ...
*


Notes


References


External links


President of the Republic of Abkhazia. Official site
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bagapsh, Sergei 1949 births 2011 deaths Communist Party of the Soviet Union members People from Sukhumi People of the Russo-Georgian War Presidents of Abkhazia Prime Ministers of Abkhazia Recipients of the Order of Friendship (South Ossetia) United Abkhazia politicians 1st convocation of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia First Vice Premiers of Abkhazia Candidates in the 2004 Abkhazian presidential election Candidates in the 2005 Abkhazian presidential election Candidates in the 2009 Abkhazian presidential election