Abkhazia, ban on foreign participation in elections
In Abkhazia, a five-year residency requirement will be introduced for candidates running for parliament, and any participation of foreign nationals in the electoral process will be prohibited.
The parliamentary committee on state-legal policy unanimously approved amendments to the constitutional law on the election of members of parliament and sent them forward for further consideration in the second reading.
The amendments aim to reform the electoral process, strengthen requirements for candidates, and tighten control over the conduct of election campaigns. According to the draft law, new eligibility criteria for parliamentary candidates are proposed.
Thus, only a citizen of Abkhazia with higher education and who has permanently resided in the republic for at least the last five years before election day will be eligible to be elected as MP.
More precisely, during the last five years, a candidate must not have left the country for more than two months per year.
Another important change is that candidates must demonstrate proficiency in the Abkhaz and Russian languages. A special language commission under the Central Election Commission will conduct the exam.
A separate article added to the constitutional election law fully bans any foreign interference in the country’s electoral process.
This is seen as a clear response by the local authorities to a scandal involving Russian political consultants who illegally worked for pro-government candidates in the municipal elections in November 2025.
From now on, foreign citizens, stateless persons, foreign and international organizations, as well as international public movements are prohibited from engaging in any activities that support or obstruct the preparation and conduct of elections, the nomination and registration of candidates, or election campaigning.
In addition, from the day elections are announced, these individuals and organizations are not allowed to conduct any public opinion polls or sociological research related to elections in Abkhazia.
The idea for the ban reportedly came from the Administration of the President of Abkhazia.
The relevant amendments will also be made to the Criminal Code of Abkhazia, and violations of the law will carry a heavy fine or a prison sentence of up to three years.
The explanatory notes to the bill state that its adoption is aimed “solely at protecting national sovereignty.”
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