TBILISI, Georgia -- The breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia has voted in parliamentary elections its leaders hope will confer long-awaited international recognition, but Georgia's president and the West dismissed the ballot and said results will not be recognized. Abkhazia's status has become a sensitive issue between Georgia and Russia, which has given tacit support to separatists there and in nearby South Ossetia. Although the conflicts remain frozen, analysts say the region is a potential flashpoint as tensions mount between the two countries. Georgia accuses Russia of interfering with its internal affairs, while Moscow counters its southern neighbor has become increasingly anti-Russian as it seeks integration with the West. Election officials say 108 candidates were in the running for 35 seats in Abkhazia's parliament, with about 130,000 total registered voters. Turnout is said to have surpassed the 25 percent threshold required to be legitimate, but the poll only managed to elect 18 members. The rest of the seats will be contested in a run-off in two weeks, according to the central election commission.
Breakaway Georgian Region of Abkhazia Undertakes Parliamentary Elections
