ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the role elections have played in nation-state formation efforts in the unrecognised state of Abkhazia. Abkhazia's status was repeatedly diluted until in 1931 it was reduced to an autonomous republic within Georgia. The burning of Abkhazia's national archives, which dated back to 1840, by Georgian troops, was an act of cultural vandalism that destroyed virtually all documents relating to the evolution of modern Abkhazia. Subsumed within the larger Russian, Soviet and Georgian state formations, Abkhazia's history has bequeathed a complex demographic legacy which has undermined efforts of nation-building. In many parts of the post-Soviet space elections are rigged, with turnout and the distribution of votes decided in advance of Election Day. During the last quarter-century, the Abkhaz have had to contend with the collapse of their economic system, which accompanied the demise of the Soviet Union and an all-out war with Georgia.