Elections in the unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia were marred by a violent incident on Saturday. At 19:30 local time, a polling station in the Gagra district was attacked, according to the Abkhazian Interior Ministry, as reported by the RIA Nowosti news agency.
The attackers attempted to flee the scene, but were blocked by security forces at the Mjussera checkpoint. When the attackers refused to stop, they opened fire and one of the vehicles crashed into a ditch, the police said. Several people, including the drivers, were injured and the authorities have launched criminal investigations, including charges of terrorism.
The Central Election Commission of Abkhazia confirmed that two of the attackers were taken to the hospital with injuries. The polling station was not affected and the election process continued without incident, the commission’s head, Dmitri Marschan, said in an interview with RIA Nowosti.
Marschan described the incident as an attempt to destabilise the situation and disrupt the election, but the police response prevented the violence from spreading. The election commission head added that the overall situation in the republic is tense, but the election process is proceeding smoothly.
A source in the Abkhazian Interior Ministry told RIA Nowosti that the attack was a reaction to the initial election results and was a form of political terrorism.
Local media reported that a recent poll showed Badra Gunba, a prominent politician and winner of the first round, with 61.77% of the vote, while his opponent, Adgur Ardsinba, had 38.23%. To win in the second round, a candidate must receive more votes than their opponent plus the number of “against all” votes, which is more than 50% of the total. If not, the election commission will set a new election date.