Observers announced a calm situation in the elections in Abkhazia

Voters on election day at a polling station in Abkhazia. File photoSUKHUM, Mar 12International observers representing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia stated at a press conference at the CEC of Abkhazia about the calm situation in the elections to the parliament of the republic. «All polling stations that we visited opened on time, the situation is calm. Neither observers nor there were no representatives of precinct election commissions,» Andrey Krasov, deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly commission on security, defense and combating crime, said, adding that at the moment they managed to visit five polling stations in different districts of Sukhum.The President of Abkhazia voted in the parliamentary elections of the republicThe executive secretary of the assembly, Sergei Strelchenko, noted «democratic character, transparency and civic responsibility of the inhabitants of Abkhazia.» Parliamentary elections are held in Abkhazia on Saturday, polling stations are open in 35 districts from 8.00 to 20.00 (coincides with Moscow time), in total There are 152 of them. In total, about 130 thousand people can take part in the voting — this is slightly more than half of the population of Abkhazia. At 12.00 turnout was about 10%. 123 candidates are taking part in the parliamentary elections — 107 men and 16 women, three of whom are Russians. In total, the CEC registered 118 initiative groups and five political parties that presented their 14 candidates — two pro-government parties — Amtsakhara (eight candidates) and the Popular Front of Abkhazia (one candidate), as well as two opposition parties — Apsny (two candidates) and Narodnaya party of Abkhazia (one candidate), and the «Party of Economic Development of Abkhazia» (two candidates), which remains neutral. The political majority in the parliament makes it possible to directly influence decision-making. There are 35 deputies in the parliament of Abkhazia. They are elected once every five years. The term of office of the current sixth convocation of parliament expires this spring.