Sergei Bagapsh's supporters are preceding his inauguration with public rallies. They mean to whip up passions and instigate public disorder thus to pressure the legitimate republican regime and ensure their seizure of power. Their irresponsible action will make the Abkhaz split even worse, endanger the security and sheer existence of independent Abkhazia, undermine its economy, and leave the republic in isolation, warns the incumbent.
As he sees it, the world clearly realises how destructive and unlawful the opposition moves are. The opposition recurred to violence to force the Central Election Commission into resolutions that met its ends. Opposition activists arranged public disorder. It set up illegal paramilitary units, and seized government premises.
If that regime sets in, it will have small chance to bring Abkhazia international recognition and close ties with Russia, points out Mr. Ardzinba.
He highlights a similarity of current Abkhaz developments with what recently took place in Yugoslavia and Georgia, and is now on in Ukraine. If things go on along the pattern, Abkhazia will face irreparable disasters to question the future, nay-even existence, of the Abkhaz nation.
To re-enact a presidential election is the only aboveboard way to settle the crisis and put an end to civil confrontation. To order a repeated election would be within the President's constitutional rights and duties, which make him guarantor of the constitutional system.
"Thus, in compliance with the Constitution and other laws of the Republic of Abkhazia, I stay incumbent President of Abkhazia to retain competence even after December 6, 2004, till the day Abkhazia elects its lawful head of state," Vladislav Ardzinba says in his statement.
