According to preliminary results of Saturday’s vote Abkhaz leader, Sergey Bagapsh, was re-elected with 59.4% of votes, the breakaway region’s central election commission (CEC) said on Sunday.

Bagapsh’s main rival, former vice-president Raul Khajimba received 15.4% of votes; head of state-owned Abkhaz Shipping Company Zaur Ardzinba – 10.6%; a businessman and a former lawmaker Beslan Butba – up to 8% and university professor Vitaly Bganba – 1.5%.

An official Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, reported quoting the breakaway region’s CEC that voter turnout was 73%.

Authorities in Tbilisi said election in breakaway Abkhazia was “immoral comedy” stage by the occupying force – Russia.

But the Georgian officials also say that Tbilisi is watching developments in Abkhazia.

“We are not indifferent towards developments in Abkhazia and we are not indifferent towards the matter of who will be those people from that side with whom we will have to talk on resolving some local issues related to wellbeing of the population,” Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian state minister for reintegration, said.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on December 12 that “the occupant regime… in Abkhazia, is putting up another show titled ‘presidential elections.’” It also said that in this “farce” a candidate “selected by Moscow long ago, will be announced ‘president’ of the proxy regime.”