Head of Abkhazian CEC denies any possibility of fraud with voter lists

On August 16, all polling stations of Abkhazia exposed voter lists; practically everything is ready on the ground for the presidential election, said Batal Tabagua, the head of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that Mr Tabagua did it at the press conference held on August 16 in Sukhumi.

He denied the claims presented of election headquarters of presidential candidates Khadjimba and Shamba that a problem may arise of falsification of voter lists. The CEC members have unanimously agreed to allow candidates' confidants to be present at printing of ballot papers.

The exact number of voters in Abkhazia will be known after the election results will have been processed. "However, according to preliminary data, there are 143,735 voters; but this figure varies at polling stations," Mr Tabagua told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Nobody can say how many citizens of Abkhazia have received passports without registration. Therefore, it is difficult to forecast how many people will get into supplementary lists," said Mr Tabagua.

It should be noted here that on August 12 members of Mr Khadjimba's election office – Akhra Bzhaniya and Khadjarat Khvartskiya, and Levan Mikaa, a confidant of Sergey Shamba, told journalists that the official voter lists failed to meet the requirements of electronic data processing, which gives a possibility to put in voluntary data.

According to the latest data of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), to which Mr Bzhaniya refers, passports were given to 162,562 citizens aged over 18. "While the lists of the CEC contain 144,497 persons. Where are over 18,000 persons, and where will they get during the vote? They will get into supplementary lists," said Akhra Bzhaniya.

Levan Mikaa, a confidant of the presidential candidate Sergey Shamba, supported Khadjimba's representatives. Mr Shamba's office finds it necessary to exercise control over how the ballot papers are printed and delivered to polling stations. Besides, his office insists on adoption by the Parliament of the decision to fix the two-percent threshold for supplementary lists.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported earlier that on August 26 Abkhazia will hold early presidential election, which was appointed after the death of President Sergey Bagapsh, 63.