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38-564: On 31 March 1999, Amtsakhara was founded on the initiative of Sergei Dbar , Vladimir Nachach , Aki Ardzinba and Garik Samanba and a number of others as a public organisation uniting veterans of the 1992–1993 war with Georgia . During its founding congress, Dbar was elected its first Chairman, which he remained until 2001. In 2002, Amtsakhara was transformed into a socio-political movement and Nachach and Mirab Kishmaria became its co-Chairmen. Although originally formed as an association for veterans, Amtsakhara broadened its membership to include

76-893: A KGB agent in Tkvarcheli until 1992. During the 1992–1993 war with Georgia , Khajimba was the head of the military intelligence and counterintelligence operation on the eastern front. For his work, he was awarded the Order of Leon . From 1996 until 1998, Khajimba headed the anti-smuggling division of the State Customs Committee. In 1998, he became its deputy chairman. After a bomb attack on 13 December 1999 in Sukhumi targeting government officials, President Ardzinba dismissed Astamur Tarba as Security Service chairman and appointed Khajimba in his stead. On 18 June 2001, he additionally became First Vice Premier. On 1 November he

114-558: A backlash against the strong Russian influence in his campaign. After the election, both Bagapsh and Khadjimba claimed victory, with Khadjimba alleging that electoral fraud in the pro-Bagapsh Gali region had been responsible for Bagapsh's win. Ardzinba soon dismissed Khadjimba as Prime Minister, replacing him with a compromise candidate, Nodar Khashba , and two months of drawn-out disputes followed, involving public protests, court action and parliamentary proceedings. In December 2004, Khadjimba and Bagapsh came to an agreement which would see

152-511: A career in the Soviet Army , Dbar became one of Abkhazia's military leaders in the 1992-1993 war with Georgia . On 21 May 1993, he was appointed Chief of Staff and promoted to the rank of Major General . After the war, on 30 December 1993, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General . On 27 September 1994, he was awarded the title Hero of Abkhazia . On 30 August 1995, he was made Deputy Minister of Defence. In June 1996, he retired from

190-498: A clear leader. On 27 June 2013, Amtsakhara held a congress in which it transformed itself into a fully fledged political party, elected as its chairmen Garik Samanba and Otar Lomia , and as its Deputy Chairmen Vitali Tarnava and Ramaz Jopua . Following the May 2014 Revolution , Amtsakhara held an extraordinary congress on 18 July, in which it condemned the events and nominated Security Service Chairman Aslan Bzhania for President in

228-479: A national rally if Gagulia did not step down. As perhaps the only opposition group with the capability to challenge the Abkhazian government, they were threatened at various times. On April 19, 2003, their office was bombed, although there were no casualties. Two of their activists died in a car bombing, which they accused the authorities of being complicit in. In June 2004, Garri Aiba , one of Amtsakhara's leaders

266-645: A team with Ardzinba. The alliance would have combined Ardzinba's backing by part of the business community and his financial resources with Khajimba's electoral popularity. The pair said they would run together during two meetings with voters, and the idea was that they would receive the joint nomination by the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia . According to the Kommersant, in the end the pair could not agree on what positions they would get. Khajimba wanted

304-627: A treaty with Russian president Vladimir Putin deepening ties between Abkhazia and Russia. Provisions of the agreement included placing the Abkhazian military under the direct control of Russia's armed forces and committing Abkhazia toward bringing its trade laws into alignment with the Eurasian Economic Union . The treaty was widely condemned in the West and by the Republic of Georgia , with US newspaper The New York Times suggesting

342-415: Is an Abkhazian politician who served as President of Abkhazia from 25 September 2014 until 12 January 2020. He was also Chairman of the Forum for the National Unity of Abkhazia from 2010 to 2015. Khajimba previously held the offices of Vice President (2005–2009), Prime Minister (2003–2004) and Defence Minister (2002–2003). He unsuccessfully ran for president in 2004 , 2009 and 2011 . He resigned

380-507: The 2001 Kodori crisis . President Ardzinba initially refused to accept Gagulia's resignation, but was forced to agree on 8 April. Vice President Valery Arshba denied on 8 April that the government's resignation was due to the prison escape, and stated that instead it was caused by the opposition's plans to hold protest rallies on 10 April. On 22 April 2003, Raul Khajimba was appointed the new Prime Minister. He remained Prime Minister until October 2004. As then-President Vladislav Ardzinba

418-457: The August election . It held an extraordinary congress on 7 November to discuss the proposed Treaty on Alliance and Integration with Russia. On 22 May 2015, Amtsakhara held its fifth congress. Co-Chairman Samanba sharply criticised the government and stated that Amtsakhara was now Abkhazia's sole opposition party. The congress unanimously called upon president Raul Khajimba to appoint a member of

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456-751: The Abkhazian government had no choice but to agree to Putin's terms. However, Khajimba hailed closer ties with Russia as promoting "the full scope of guarantees for the safety of our state and extensive opportunities for the social and economic development". Raul Khajimba as the Leader of Abkhazia got awarded with Order of Leon (as Vice President in 2005), Order of Merit, II degree (Transnistria in 2006 as vice president), Order of Merit, I Degree (Transnistria in 2015 as president), Order of Friendship (Republic of South Ossetia in 2015 as president), Order of Friendship (Transnistria in 2016 as president), and Umayyad Order (Syrian Arab Republic in 2018 as president). Raul Khajimba

494-552: The Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia, Aruaa and Akhatsa. Khajimba picked Vasilii Avidzba as his vice presidential candidate. Nevertheless, on 18 November Khajimba and Ardzinba announced that they would continue to coordinate their campaigns, and that they had appointed chairman of Aruaa , Vadim Smyr to lead this coordination. On 20 November, Khajimba stated that he and Ardzinba had different visions on coming to power, but that he did not consider Ardzinba his opponent, and that in

532-470: The Ministry building, a number of activists tried to break through the security cordon, including by throwing stones, bricks and molotov cocktails. As a result of the violence, nineteen security officers were injured, of which nine had to be hospitalised. On 30 November 2016, Amtsakhara held its 7th congress, in which it listed a number of complaints against the authorities, among which that it had sabotaged

570-927: The October 2004 Presidential election, when Ardzinba was forced by the Constitution to step down. Their chances of winning the 2004 elections initially suffered a blow in April 2004, when several other opposition politicians combined to form the United Abkhazia alliance. However, in June 2004, Amtsakhara and United Abkhazia agreed to form a combined front at the elections, after the Aiba assassination. On July 20, 2004, they named former prime minister Sergei Bagapsh as their presidential candidate, ending rumors that they may put up multiple candidates due to their prior lack of

608-547: The Union of the Cossacks of Abkhazia (5 August). The pair scored a 19.82% third place, losing to Acting President Alexander Ankvab . Khajimba led opposition protests that forced Alexander Ankvab to resign as president on 1 June 2014. Khajimba won the subsequent presidential election with a slim 50.60% first-round victory. Khajimba was inaugurated as president on 25 September 2014. Two months into his presidency, he signed

646-493: The achievements of the government and recent foreign policy decisions. On 28 May Khajimba resigned, saying that he agreed with the criticism, but attributing his failure to tackle corruption and improve security to lack of room for manoeuvre and no support from the president Bagapsh whom he also accused of violating the 2004 powersharing agreement and criticized him for signing a border protection agreement with Russia in 2009. The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that during

684-526: The army, becoming Advisor to the President the next month. Sergei Dbar was elected the first chairman of the war veterans organisation Amtsakhara during its founding congress on 31 March 1999. In July 2001, Dbar was dismissed as Presidential Advisor due to budget cuts, but during the 2001 Kodori crisis , Dbar re-entered the army, becoming Commander of the Northern Group of Forces. Sergei Dbar

722-519: The case of a second round, he, Ardzinba and Butba would support each other. A second round proved to be unnecessary, since incumbent President Sergei Bagapsh won a 61.16% first round victory. Khajimba came in second place with 15,584 votes, 15.32% of the total number cast. On 12 May 2010, Raul Khajimba was elected Chairman of the FNUA, after the party congress had reduced the number of chairmen from 2 to 1. Khajimba again ran for president in 2011, after

760-423: The death of President Sergei Bagapsh . His running mate was Svetlana Jergenia, widow of first President Vladislav Ardzinba . The pair was first nominated by an initiative group on 28 June and then by the Forum for the National Unity of Abkhazia on 16 July. They received the additional support of Akhatsa (5 July), Aruaa (7 July), former Prime Minister and 2004 presidential candidate Anri Jergenia (27 July) and

798-549: The new arrangement, with Bagapsh and his Prime Minister, Alexander Ankvab , likely to maintain ultimate control over the areas of policy nominally assigned to the vice-president. The controversy resurfaced again in June 2008, when Khadjimba attended a congress of the Aruaa veteran organisation, of which he is a member. The congress issued a statement criticizing the Bagapsh administration's "multi-vector foreign policy", referring to

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836-405: The opposition to the post of Prime Minister and approved a change to its leadership structure, reducing its number of Chairmen from three to one. On 4 June, the party's Political Council decided that Co-Chairman Alkhas Kvitsinia should take over as sole leader and elected him as the council's chairman. On 21 October, at Amtsakhara's sixth congress, it confirmed this decision by electing Kvitsinia as

874-530: The pair run as part of a national unity ticket in repeat elections, with Khadjimba running as Bagapsh's vice-president. As part of this deal, the position of vice-president was given expanded powers covering defence and foreign affairs. The joint ticket easily won the January 2005 election , winning more than 90% of the vote. However, in the aftermath of the election win, many analysts have suggested that Khadjimba's executive authority would be somewhat limited under

912-575: The participants found the building locked, and decided to hold the congress in the adjacent park, with a one-hour delay as the electricity had been switched off. The congress adopted several demands, including the dismissal of Interior Minister Leonid Dzapshba and the postponement of the referendum to the Autumn. Participants then moved to the Interior Ministry to reiterate their demands. Despite pleas by Chairman Alkhas Kvitsinia not to violate

950-490: The party's Chairman. It also adopted a resolution calling on President Raul Khajimba to resign. On 3 March 2016, Amtsakhara expressed its support for the planned referendum to hold an early presidential election . After President Raul Khajimba approved the referendum and set its date to be 10 July, Amtsakhara planned a congress for 5 July. The congress had been planned to be held at the State Philharmonic, but

988-815: The presidency in 2020 due to protests against him. Raul Khajimba was born on 21 March 1959 in Tkvarcheli , where he went to school and worked as a mechanic at the power station. From 1976 until 1978, he served in the Soviet Air Defence Forces . From 1979 until 1984, he graduated from the Law Faculty of the Abkhazian State University . From 1985 until 1986 Khajimba studied at the KGB school in Minsk , and he subsequently served as

1026-430: The presidency, and offered Ardzinba to become Prime Minister, but this was not acceptable to the latter. The congress of the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia planned on 29 October was called off, and Ardzinba was instead nominated by an initiative group that day. Khajimba had already been officially nominated for the presidency by an interest group on 19 October, and received the additional support on 20 October of

1064-477: The procedure for amending the Constitution. Amtsakhara was largely responsible for bringing down the government of Prime Minister Gennady Gagulia in 2003. This was the first time that a government had been forced to resign due to public pressure, rather than being sacked by President Vladislav Ardzinba . Amtsakhara had lashed out at Gagulia for being inefficient and weak on crime , and public anger had boiled over at its congress. They had also threatened to organize

1102-465: The recall referendum. The congress called upon President Raul Khajimba to resign by 15 December, failing which it would organise a 'People's Assembly' on that date. [REDACTED] Abkhazia portal Sergei Dbar Sergei Platonovich Dbar was a prominent military leader of Abkhazia . Dbar was born on 2 May 1946 in the village of Mgudzyrkhua in the Gudauta District . After

1140-420: The summer of 2009 Khajimba had entered negotiations with Beslan Butba over forming an alliance for in the presidential election, but the pair fell out following the visit of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Abkhazia. Putin had met with Khajimba, but not with Butba, and Butba considered this an unfriendly act on the part of Khajimba. During the nomination period for candidates, Khajimba then tried to form

1178-510: The talks with Georgian and Western diplomats, and called for greater ties with Russia. The pro-Bagapsh politicians from the Amtsakhara veteran organisation described Khadjimba's criticism of the government, in which he was a vice-president, "immoral". Later that month, Khadjimba reiterated his stance towards Bagapsh's foreign policy, stating that Abkhazia's only protector could be Russia and using force would be inevitable for gaining control of

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1216-536: The upper Kodori Valley in northeastern Abkhazia, the only part of Abkhazia under Georgian control at the time. In August 2008, the Abkhazian military did take the upper Kodory Valley by force during the August 2008 war over South Ossetia . On 18 May 2009 the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia and Aruaa issued a press statement and on 20 May they gave a press conference with several other opposition parties, on both occasions voicing severe criticism over

1254-524: The wider community. Before Amtsakhara, the only notable opposition group had been the Aitaira movement. Amtsakhara managed to take over the leadership of the opposition, empowered by its core of veterans. In the years leading up to 2004, Amtsakhara lobbied for reform of the government, including a greater balance of powers between the branches of government, and in particular, an increase in the powers of Abkhazian lawmakers. They were also successful in changing

1292-412: Was elected to Parliament for constituency no. 13 in the 2 March 2002 elections . He was elected Vice-Speaker, but on 27 June, he died of a heart attack. This Abkhazian biographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Raul Khajimba Raul Jumkovich Khajimba ( Abkhaz : Рауль Џьумка-иԥа Ҳаџьымба , Georgian : რაულ ჯუმკას-ძე ჰაჯიმბა ; born 21 March 1959)

1330-465: Was seriously ill and did not appear in public during his term, Khajimba acted as a de facto head of state in his absence. In this role, he met a number of political leaders, including Igor Ivanov , foreign minister of Russia. He has been a sharp opponent of reunification with Georgia, and vehemently condemned Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili 's proposal for a two-state federation in May 2004. Khadjimba

1368-406: Was shot dead while driving through the city. As a result, foreign minister and fellow Amtsakhara leader Sergei Shamba resigned in protest. During 2003 and early 2004, Amtsakhara lobbied for President Ardzinba to step down. In late 2003, they had asked parliament to come up with a means for impeaching him by mid-December, but this did not occur. Amtsakhara intended to challenge the ruling party at

1406-512: Was succeeded as Head of the State Security Service by Interior Minister Zurab Agumava. On 16 May 2002, Khajimba was appointed Defence Minister , replacing Vladimir Mikanba , while remaining First Vice Premier. In the evening of 7 April 2003, Prime Minister Gennadi Gagulia filed for resignation. Early in the morning of that day, nine prisoners had escaped, four of which had been sentenced to death due to their involvement in

1444-514: Was tipped as the favourite to win the October 2004 presidential elections , and was strongly endorsed by both outgoing president Ardzinba and Russian President Vladimir Putin . Both men campaigned on his behalf and dedicated significant resources to assisting the Khadjimba campaign. However, opposition candidate Sergei Bagapsh polled more votes on election day, in what was widely attributed as

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