Abkhazia: Satisfying Voter Turnout on Elections 2017
Photo by Radio Free Europe
On 12 March 2017, parliamentary elections in Abkhazia have been recognised as valid. Abkhazia is still not recognised as independent nation by a majority of States and the Tbilisi Government declared the elections illegal, but the voter turnout reached satisfying 38%. No definitive results of the elections are available at this point.
Below is an article by Tass:
SUKHUM, March 12. /TASS/. Parliamentary elections in Abkhazia have been recognized as valid as the voter turnout has exceeded 38%, a member of the republic’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Sunday.
"As of 15:00 Moscow time, the voter turnout was 38.83%, with as many as 51,057 people having cast their votes. Elections can be recognized as valid at 34 out of 35 polling stations," Elena Labakhua told journalists.
Elections in Abkhazia are recognized as valid with the voter turnout of 25%.
The term of the current parliament, or the National Assembly, expires in March. Elections are held in one-seat constituencies, with 137 candidates vying for 35 seats in the parliament.
A winning candidate must score support from more than a half of voters. In case neither of the contenders manages to do that, a runoff polling will be organized in the constituency within two weeks. Taking part in that round are two candidates who win the biggest number of votes in the first round. A simple majority of votes is needed to win in the runoff poll.
Some 40 observers, including from Russia and South Ossetia, are monitoring the elections. Preliminary results will be announced on Monday, March 13. Official results are to be made public within seven days after the voting.
