A protest rally was held in the city of Sokhumi of the occupied Abkhazia region demanding the step-down of the self-proclaimed government and its’ prime minister Alexander Ankvab.
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Opposition leaders declared to their supporters gathered in the square near the Abkhazia State Drama Theatre on May 30, that the government policy does not represent the interests of the people and the state.
“In the course of the elections, the current government was assuring the people of Abkhazia that after coming to power, they would carry out reforms, downsize the bureaucratic apparatus, and be transparent. But what do we see today? Complete absence of reforms, the government being closed off at the time when we are faced with fateful crossroads, as happened in the case of the state resort Pitsunda [Bichvinta]. The government is busy with its own commercial projects and expresses its willingness to share the sovereignty of the state with others. We have the right to assert our distrust of this state, president, ministers, and the entire government,” proclaimed Khina Dumava, who represents the public organization of veterans – Aruaa.
Head of the political party Apsni, Vitaly Gabelia, remarks that corruption and incompetence in Abkhazia have reached such levels that the existence of the state is being questioned.
“Attempt at talks with the government was futile. Crucial reforms were called unnecessary. Now they want to augment the already inflated power of the president by dissolving the parliament – eliminating the only mechanism that balances different branches of government,” said Gabelia.
According to local media, the protesters have adopted a resolution calling for de facto President Aslan Bzhania not just to oust the government, but also to create a reform council, to cancel the order on “legalizing trade with Georgia”, to refuse to increase the electricity tariff, and recall the agreement on the transfer of the Bichvinta resort to Russia.
Apart from the rally, supporters of Aslan Bzhania gathered at the administration of the illegitimate president Aslan Bzhania. Bzhania addressed them saying their demands need to be worked on with a balanced approach. We are currently considering several draft laws and several more and awaiting review,” stated Bzhania.
He also said political matters should be resolved in cabinets, not streets.
The so-called opposition plans to continue the rallies until their demands are met.
“From today, we are announcing a string of protest rallies and we will fight for this anti-national government to leave,” announced the Chairman of the Public Organization Abkhazia People's Movement, Adgur Ardzinba. “Today, we refrained from demanding the resignation of the president to maintain peace within the country. We hope he will learn his lesson, realize the detrimental effects of his policies, and relieve the parliament as a sign of concession, as well as start negotiations with the people and not segregate them by friends and enemies.”
