Elections in Adzhara: Saakashvili confirms control

Tbilisi (AsiaNews) - The elections for the Supreme Council in Adzhara have confirmed Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's control over this autonomous region.  According to initial results, released this afternoon, 70% of votes went to the "Saakashvili -- Victorious Adzhara" party.  Adzhara is of considerable strategic importance for the country's economy: 9 million tonnes of petroleum are shipped through the Bitumi port, on the Black Sea, each year.   Saakashvili's victory comes two months after the ousting of former President Aslan Abashidze, who ruled Adzhara as a tyrant for 12 years.  Abashidze's expulsion and democratic elections were first steps in restoring territorial integrity in Adzhara, as promised to the country by Saakashvili.  Following last November's "Revolution of Roses", Abashidze had, in fact, threatened to break all ties with central power in Tbilisi.   Adzhara's autonomity is still to be defined in Georgia's constitution.  Since the declaration of independence in 1991, two regions -- Adzhara and South Ossetia -- claimed increased autonomy from the the central government in Tbilisi. (FC)
21/06/2004 00:00:00 - South West Asia Georgia


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