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Situation in Abkhazia stable, under control, says Security Council

Mukhamed Kilba added that President Raul Khajimba has several meetings planned for Saturday, particularly with leaders of the opposition and with the Russian delegation

SUKHUM, January 11. /TASS/. The environment in Abkhazia on the third day of mass protests demanding the resignation of President is stable and under control, Secretary of the republic’s Security Council Mukhamed Kilba told TASS.

"The situation is under control, not dramatically awful, but steadily difficult. Yesterday and the day before yesterday it was steadily severe. Though there have been no particular changes: the difficulties remains, people stay inside the captured building (presidential administration)," he said, adding that both protesters and supporters of the acting authorities are in the city center now.

Kilba added that President Raul Khajimba has several meetings planned for Saturday, particularly with leaders of the opposition and with the Russian delegation. He expressed hope that the crisis would be overcome by Saturday evening.

The political crisis in Abkhazia erupted on January 9, when protesters demanding the resignation of President Raul Khajimba forced their way into the building of the presidential staff. Khajimba called an urgent meeting of the Security Council to declare that the introduction of a state of emergency was not ruled out. Abkhazia’s parliament met in early session on the same day to vote for a message to the president urging him to step down.

The Supreme Court of Abkhazia overturned on Friday the ruling of the country's Central Election Commission on results of the presidential election and ruled to call for a rerun. That means the court board sustained the opposition activist Alkhas Kvitsinia’s appeal against the ruling of the trial court that recognized the results of the presidential election as lawful.

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