Georgia: Five Men to Vie for Presidency in Abkhazia

Five candidates will be on the ballot for independence-minded Abkhazia's presidential poll. Russian commentators say the heavy favorite is the incumbent de facto leader, Sergei Bagapsh.

The nomination period for the presidential vote closed on November 2. Abkhazia's opposition is currently split. Former de facto vice president Raul Khajiba, who pulls support from the political right and war veterans, is perhaps the highest-profile challenger. Khajiba earlier tried to dislodge Bagapsh from his frontrunner perch by pushing for allowing only holders of Abkhaz passports to participate in the poll. Many Georgians living in Abkhazia's Gali district -- a predominantly ethnic Georgian region occasionally perceived as an electoral base for Bagapsh, whose wife is an ethnic Georgian -- do not hold Abkhaz passports.

According to a report distributed by the Rosbalt news agency, Bagapsh will also face challenges from Beslan Butba, a prominent businessman and moderate opposition leader, and Zaur Ardzinba, the head of a government-owned shipping company. Vitaly Bganba, a little-known professor of economics, is also running. The presidential ballot is slated to take place on December 12.