Pro-Russian candidate declared winner in Abkhazia vote

MOSCOW: Pro-Russian politician Badra Gunba has been declared winner of runoff presidential elections in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, officials said on Sunday, amid tensions over Moscow´s influence.

Abkhazia is recognised by most of the world as Georgian territory, but has been under de-facto Russian control since a brief 2008 war between Moscow and Tbilisi. Gunba won 54.73 percent of the vote in the second round, while opposition leader Adgur Ardzinba garnered 41.54 percent, Dmitry Marshan, chair of the separatist region´s election commission, told reporters.

No candidate won a majority in the first round on February 15, forcing a runoff. The region has been gripped by tension since November, when protesters ousted pro-Kremlin president Aslan Bzhania over a Russian investment bill that critics argued would lead to uncontrolled development in the lush Black Sea region. He was the third Abkhazian leader to resign due to protests since 2014. Gunba was vice president and acting leader, while Ardzinba is a former economy minister aligned with the protesters while still backing ties with Russia.