Raul Khajimba wins in first round of presidential election in Abkhazia, CEC reports

In Abkhazia, presidential candidate Raul Khadjimba has won in the first round of the presidential election. This has been reported on Monday morning by Batal Tabagua, the head of the Abkhaz Central Election Commission (CEC) with reference to the preliminary information after processing 100% of the ballots.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 24, the voting of the early presidential election was held in Abkhazia. Aslan Bzhaniya, Leonid Dzapshba, Raul Khadjimba, and Mirab Kishmariya ran for presidency. According to the preliminary information, the voter turnout reached 70%. The electoral precincts were also opened in Moscow, Cherkessk, and Istanbul.

According to the CEC's preliminary information, which was made public when 100% of the ballots had been processed, Raul Khadjimba gained 50.57% of votes, and his main rival Aslan Bzhaniya – 35.91% of votes, the ITAR-TASS reports.

After the electoral precincts were closed, Raul Khadjimba has stated that the preliminary results of the election commissions are in his favour. Members of the electoral office of Aslan Bzhaniya have acknowledged that, according to the preliminary data, Raul Khadjimba became the leader.

The report of the Institute of Social Marketing (INSOMAR) has predicted that the election in Abkhazia can end in one round. Moreover, according to the researchers, at least 51% of the voters were willing to support Raul Khadjimba.