SUKHUM, May 21. /TASS/. An indefinite civil disobedience campaign demanding a delay of the presidential election is a measure needed to protect the people from the arbitrariness of the authorities, the Abkhazian opposition said in a statement.
"On May 20, 2019, the public movement for the protection of Abkhazia’s statehood announced an indefinite civil disobedience campaign and declared a state of emergency across the republic. It is a necessary measure that responsible representatives of the people have taken to protect Abkhazian citizens from the arbitrariness of the current authorities," the statement reads.
According to the document, a decision to temporarily block motor roads in Abkhazia’s regions was made "to prevent attempts to use innocent people as a human shield, protect their lives and health and ensure their rights."
Situation in Abkhazia
The Abkhazian opposition earlier demanded that the presidential election be delayed from July 21 to the fall due to the illness of the major opposition candidate, Aslan Bzhaniya, who had been hospitalized in Moscow. Opposition members and his family claim that Bzhaniya could have been poisoned. On Monday, the parliament refused to delay the election until November 23.
Abkhazian President Raul Khadzhimba handed down instructions to publish data on Bzhaniya’s health condition. An expert group from the Abkhaz Prosecutor General’s Office started its work in Moscow on May 20 to check information on the possible poisoning of the opposition candidate.
The Abkhazian president accused the opposition of attempting to seize power and called on the people to resist provocations.