MOSCOW, May 30 (RIA Novosti) – Abkhazia’s law of the land prohibits the parliament from sacking the president, opposition’s Sergei Shamba said Friday in a radio interview with Kommersant FM.
“The parliament cannot do that because a law on vote of no confidence was never enacted, despite the constitution having a provision to this effect,” said Shamba, who is also Abkhazia’s former Prime Minister.
He explained that the only way now to remove President Alexander Ankvab from office was to politely ask him to leave. “The majority of parliament members did that, more than a half of them actually did,” the opposition politician added.
But he stressed the president’s refusal to resign only added fuel to the flame of unrest in the breakaway Caucasus republic.
“The only reason there’s still tension is the president’s inability to face the music and step down. It’s this total blindness in the face of reality that brought him to this sad end-point [of his career] after only 2.5 years in office,” Sergei Shamba noted.
The opposition is also considering a candidate to replace Abkhaz Prime Minister Leonid Lakerbaia, after parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the head of government on Thursday.
Opposition leader and former vice president Raul Hajimba said the opposition is continuing to form an interim government and already has candidates for the heads of ministries.
A mass protest in Abkhazia’s capital, Sukhumi, has been continuing for several days. Protesters have seized government buildings, demanding President Alexander Ankvab step down.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier this week that Moscow is concerned by the political tensions in Abkhazia and believes the crisis should be resolved through a legal process.
