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SUKHUM | TASS | Badra Gunba, who was voted president of Abkhazia on March 2, has officially been inaugurated as the leader of the republic.
The swearing-in ceremony was held in Sukhum at the state assembly hall, a TASS on-site correspondent reported.
“I swear to the entire multiethnic nation of Abkhazia that I will dedicate my knowledge and efforts for the sake of its well-being, peace and tranquility. In my activities, I will strictly adhere to the Constitution of the Republic of Abkhazia, ensuring its strict observance by government agencies and the protection of the rights and freedoms of all the republic’s citizens,” he said before the republic’s parliamentary delegates and judges of the Constitutional Court.
Following the ceremony, the Abkhazian president addressed his compatriots. “As I take office as the president of the Republic of Abkhazia, I am fully aware of the scale of responsibility entrusted to me, and I would like to address all my compatriots, regardless of their ethnicity, religious affiliation, political views and convictions with words of profound gratitude for their wisdom during the election campaign. Despite differences which periodically morphed into sharp political conflicts, we managed to preserve domestic stability, keeping within the legal framework and ensuring that the constitutional rights of our citizens are upheld. I am confident that, regardless of political preferences, we all are preoccupied and united by a single idea – the future of independent Abkhazia,” Gunba said.
The inauguration was attended by South Ossetian President Alan Gagloyev, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Sergey Kiriyenko, Russian State Duma Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy and Russian State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov. Russian regional heads, a representative from Transnistria, and envoys from Russia, South Ossetia, Nicaragua and Venezuela also attended the ceremony.
“Today, our friends are with us. I welcome Sergey Vladilenovich Kiriyenko and express my sincere gratitude for his support for our country. We are proud that you are a native of Abkhazia,” Gunba said, addressing the first deputy chief of staff of the Russian Presidential Administration.
The Abkhazian leader assured his compatriots that the “power vested in him by the Constitution and the people will be directed toward serving the country, protecting its sovereignty and independence, improving the quality of life of its citizens and its economic development.” “We will do everything possible in order to preserve our unique culture, language and storied history. Thank you for placing your trust in me,” he emphasized.
About election
The snap presidential election was held in two rounds, on February 15 and March 1. In the first round, no candidate garnered the necessary number of votes. In the runoff, 54,954 voters, or 54.73%, cast ballots for Gunba, while his opponent, opposition politician Adgur Ardzinba, received 41,708 votes, or 41.54%.
Gunba, 43, is Abkhazia’s sixth president.
