The interim president of Abkhazia, Aleksandr Ankwab, has won presidential elections, the electoral commission said Saturday according to dpa. The election was held Friday despite protests from Georgia, which lost control of its former province following an armed conflict with Russia in August 2008. The electoral commission said Ankwab received 54.86 per cent of the vote. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Ankwab Saturday on his victory. Prime Minister Sergei Shamba received 21.04 per cent of the vote, and opposition candidate Raul Khadzhimba 19.83 per cent, according to returning officer Batal Tabagua. Turnout was 71.92 per cent of the eligible 144,000 voters.
