Minister for Internal Affairs of Abkhazia

The Minister for Internal Affairs (Russian: министр внутренних дел Республики Абхазия) holds a ministerial position in the government of the Republic of Abkhazia. The post existed in the Soviet period within the Council of Ministers of the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and since then has been occupied by 10 politicians, of whom three have occupied it twice. The current Minister is Aslan Kobakhia.

History

Government of President Ardzinba

Further information: Government of President Ardzinba

On 2 June 1996, President Ardzinba dismissed Interior Minister Givi Agrba for unsatisfactory work and replaced him with the head of his own security office Almasbei Kchach.[1] On 2 July 2001, Supreme Court Judge Zurab Agumava was appointed Minister of the Interior in the new Cabinet headed by Anri Jergenia.[2] On 1 November, First Vice-Premier Raul Khajimba was released as Head of the State Security Service, a post which up until then he had still occupied. He was succeeded by Agumava, who in turn was again succeeded by Kchach.[3][4] On 8 May 2003, Abesalom Beia succeeded Almasbei Kchach as interior minister in the new Cabinet headed by Raul Khajimba, while Kchach was (on 6 June) appointed Secretary of the Security Council.[5][6]

Government of President Bagapsh

Further information: Government of President Bagapsh

After the election of Sergei Bagapsh as president, he appointed Otar Khetsia as interior minister on 25 February 2005. He was again appointed after Bagapsh's 2009 re-election.

Khetsia was dismissed as Minister of the Interior on 12 August 2010 and appointed Secretary of the State Security Council on 18 August. He was temporarily succeeded by his First Deputy Minister Ramin Gablaia until First Deputy Minister of Taxes and Fees Leonid Dzapshba was appointed the new Minister of the Interior on 22 September.[7][8][9]

Government of President Ankvab

Further information: Government of President Ankvab

After the election of Alexander Ankvab, he again appointed Otar Khetsia as interior minister on 20 October 2011.[10]

Following the resignation of Alexander Ankvab as a result of the 2014 Abkhazian Revolution, Khetsia went on paid leave, and on 9 June Raul Lolua, Head of the State Security Service's Special Forces Centre, was appointed First Deputy Minister to carry out his duties.[11] On 4 August, acting President Valeri Bganba dismissed Khetsia and appointed Lolua as Acting Minister.[12]

Government of President Khajimba

Further information: Government of President Khajimba

After the election of Raul Khajimba, he permanently appointed Raul Lolua on 25 October 2014.[13] Logua was re-appointed in April 2015, following the replacement of Beslan Butba as prime minister by Artur Mikvabia, but handed in his resignation the following month, after two confrontations between police officers and members of the State Security Service.[14][15] On the evening of 14 May, President Khajimba accepted Logua's resignation and appointed former Prosecutor General of the Gagra District Beslan Khagba as his successor.[16][17]

On 9 October, Khajimba dismissed Khagba and appointed Leonid Dzapshba, who had already held the post from 2010 to 2011 under President Sergei Bagapsh and who had scored a 3.4% fourth place in the 2014 Presidential election.[18][19]

In the run-up to the 2016 presidential recall referendum, Dzapshba gave a speech to officials at the Ministry that angered opposition activists, who claimed Dzapshba had pressured the officials not to participate in the referendum. On 5 July, some activists stormed the Ministry and demanded i.a. Dzapshba's resignation. As a concession to the protestors, Khajimba suspended Dzapshba for the duration of an investigation into the matter by the Prosecutor General, and instructed first deputy Minister Boris Abitov to carry out his duties.[20][21] On 26 July, Prime Minister Artur Mikvabia resigned.[22][23] On 16 August, MP and former State Customs Committee Chairman under President Vladislav Ardzinba Aslan Kobakhia was appointed Interior Minister (and Vice Premier) instead of Dzapshba, who was appointed presidential advisor on law enforcement agencies.[24][25]

List of ministers for internal affairs of Abkhazia

# Name Entered office Left office President Comments
Platon Arshba 1953 [26] 1968 [26]
Valeri Khintba December 1968 [27] 1973 [27]
Givi Lominadze 24 June 1992
Alexander Ankvab 24 June 1992 1993
Givi Agrba 1993 26 November 1994
26 November 1994 2 June 1996 Vladislav Ardzinba
Almasbei Kchach 2 June 1996 [1] 2 July 2001 First time
Zurab Agumava 2 July 2001 [2] 1 November 2001 [3]
Almasbei Kchach 1 November 2001 [3] 8 May 2003 Second time
Abesalom Beia 8 May 2003 [5] 25 February 2005
Otar Khetsia 25 February 2005 20 August 2010 [7] Sergei Bagapsh First time
Ramin Gablaia 12 August 2010 [7] 20 September 2010 [9] Acting
Leonid Dzapshba 22 September 2010 [9] 29 May 2011
29 May 2011 20 October 2011 Alexander Ankvab
Otar Khetsia 20 October 2011 [10] 1 June 2014 Second time
1 June 2014 4 August 2014 [12] Valeri Bganba
Raul Lolua 4 August 2014 [12] 15 October 2014
15 October 2014 [13] 14 May 2015 [16] Raul Khajimba
Beslan Khagba 14 May 2015 [17] 9 October 2015 [19]
Leonid Dzapshba 9 October 2015 [18] 16 August 2016 [25] Second time
Aslan Kobakhia 16 August 2016 [24] Present

References

  1. ^ a b The Jamestown Foundation (4 June 1996). "ABKHAZ MILITARY LEADERS REPLACED". Monitor. 2 (107). Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Newspaper & coffee". Apsnypress (in Russian). 2 July 2001. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b c ООН: поделите мандариновую страну. Caucasian Knot (in Russian). 1 November 2001. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  4. ^ Абхазский парламент не поддержал вотум недоверия правительству. Caucasian Knot (in Russian). 2 November 2001. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  5. ^ a b Выпуск № 088. Apsnypress (in Russian). 8 May 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  6. ^ Выпуск № 111. Apsnypress (in Russian). 6 June 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Указом Президента Республики Абхазия С. В. Багапша Хеция Отар Михайлович освобожден от должности министра внутренних дел Республики Абхазия в связи с переводом на другую работу. Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия (in Russian). 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  8. ^ "New Chief of Abkhaz NSC Appointed". Civil Georgia. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  9. ^ a b c Леонид Дзяпшба назначен министром внутренних дел. Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия (in Russian). 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Назначены министры образования, внутренних дел, труда и соцразвития". Apsnypress. 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  11. ^ "Владимир Делба призвал всех руководителей министерств и ведомств более ответственно и внимательно относиться к работе". Apsnypress. 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  12. ^ a b c "Отар Хеция освобожден от исполнения обязанностей министра внутренних дел Республики Абхазия". Apsnypress. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Указы о назначении министров". Apsnypress. 15 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Президент Абхазии подписал Указы о назначениях". Apsnypress. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  15. ^ Zavodskaya, Elena (13 May 2015). "МВД и ГСО – стенка на стенку". Echo of the Caucasus. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Рауль Лолуа освобожден от должности министра внутренних дел". Apsnypress. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Беслан Хагба назначен министром внутренних дел Абхазии". Apsnypress. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  18. ^ a b "ЛЕОНИД ДЗАПШБА НАЗНАЧЕН МИНИСТРОМ ВНУТРЕННИХ ДЕЛ АБХАЗИИ". Abkhazia Inform. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Леонид Дзапшба назначен министром внутренних дел РА". Apsnypress. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Леонид Дзапшба временно отстранён от исполнения обязанностей министра внутренних дел". Apsnypress. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  21. ^ "Алексей Ломия: речь идет об организации массовых беспорядков". Apsnypress. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  22. ^ Jopua, Irena (26 July 2016). "Премьер-министр Артур Миквабия заявил о своей отставке". Apsnypress. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  23. ^ "Президент подписал Указ об освобождении Артура Миквабия от должности Премьер-министра". Apsnypress. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Вице-премьером, министром внутренних дел РА назначен Аслан Кобахия". Apsnypress. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Леонид Дзапшба назначен советником Президента РА по взаимодействию с правоохранительными органами". Apsnypress. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  26. ^ a b Avidzba, V Sh, ed. (2015). АБХАЗСКИЙ БИОГРАФИЧЕСКИЙ СЛОВАРЬ. Moscow - Sukhum: Abkhazian Institute for Humanistic Studies. p. 108. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  27. ^ a b Avidzba, V Sh, ed. (2015). АБХАЗСКИЙ БИОГРАФИЧЕСКИЙ СЛОВАРЬ. Moscow - Sukhum: Abkhazian Institute for Humanistic Studies. p. 704. Retrieved 20 December 2015.