Russian Observers Arrive In Abkhazia To Monitor Presidential Election - Embassy

SUKHUM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2019) Observers from both chambers of the Russian parliament as well as the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg arrived in Abkhazia to monitor the national presidential election, the Russian Embassy in the Caucasian country said.

The Abkhazian presidential election is scheduled for Sunday. On Friday, head of the Central Election Commission Tamaz Gogia told Sputnik that more than 50 international monitors had arrived in the country.

"On August 23, the [Russian] embassy met the Russian observers from the Council of Federation, State Duma and the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, who arrived in Abkhazia for the presidential election," the embassy said on its Facebook page on late Friday.

Nine candidates are running for the presidential post in Abkhazia, including incumbent leader Raul Khadzhimba, former Vice Prime Minister Shamil Ardzinba and defense minister's adviser Oleg Arshba among others.