Parliamentary Elections In Abkhazia Postponed Until March 2, 2002

The parliamentary elections in Abkhazia, a self-proclaimed republic on Georgian territory, will not be held on November 24th, 2001, as scheduled, but have been postponed until March 2nd, 2002. A RIA Novosti correspondent reports that President of Abkhazia Vladislav Ardzinba has made this decision. The reason to postpone elections was the invasion by a group of Chechen and Georgian terrorists of Abkhazian territory in mid-October. After the attack, candidates to parliament were forced to cut short their election campaigns and go to battle lines as members of the home guard. According to Abkhazia's Prime Minister Anri Dzhergenia, "so far the situation in the republic has stabilised and preparation for parliamentary elections can be resumed."