SUKHUM, August 27 (Itar-Tass) —— Over 103,000 people from 148,430 registered voters participated in the voting at the presidential elections in Abkhazia. The turnout has made 71.92%, Chairman of the Central Elections Commission Batala Tabagua said on Saturday.
The number of protest ballots has made 2.022 (1.9%).
Alexander Ankvab is elected as president of Abkhazia. He gained 54.86% of votes. His main rival Sergei Shamba polled 21.04% of votes. Raul Khadzhimba got 19.83%.
Raul Khadzhimba’s election headquarters congratulated Alexander Ankvab on his victory in the presidential elections.
Alexander Zolotinskovich Ankvab was born on December 26, 1952 in the city of Sukhum (the Abkhazian Soviet Republic).
In 1974 he graduated from the Rostov Institute of Law, in 1987 – from the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the Soviet Union Communist Party.
From 1975 to 1981 he worked in the Justice Ministry of the Abkhazian Soviet Republic, then in the Abkhazian Komsomol regional committee as the first secretary of the Gudauta Komsomol district committee, then the chief of the Gudauta district police department.
In 1981-1983 – an instructor of the department of administrative authorities, the chief of the sector of science and economic studies of the agriculture department, the deputy chief of the department of administrative authorities in the Central Committee of the Georgian Communist Party in the city of Tbilisi.
In 1984-1990 Ankvab worked as the Georgian deputy interior minister.
In 1991 he worked as a deputy of the Abkhazian Supreme Council.
In 1992-1993 he worked as the interior minister of the Republic of Abkhazia.
In 1994-2004 he was engaged in business and public and political activities.
In 2000 he was one of the founders and the leader of the Abkhazian public and political movement Aitara (Revival).
From February 2005 to February 2010 Ankvab occupied the post of the prime minister of the Republic of Abkhazia.
Since February 2010 he worked as the vice-president of Abkhazia.
From May to July 2011 he was the acting Abkhazian president.
He is married and has two children.