The Government of President Raul Khajimba was the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia from 2014 until 2020.
Composition
PresidentRaul Khajimba Valery BganbaVice PresidentVitali Gabnia Aslan Bartsits Head of the Presidential AdministrationAstamur TaniaBeslan BartsitsDaur ArshbaBeslan BartsitsSecretary of the Security CouncilMukhamed KilbaHead of the State Security ServiceZurab MarganiaCabinet leadership:Prime MinisterBeslan ButbaArtur MikvabiaBeslan BartsitsGennady Gagulia Valery BganbaFirst Vice PremierShamil Adzynba Daur Arshba Vice Premier(s)Viktor KhilchevskiDmitri Serikov Djansukh NanbaSuren Kerselyan Beslan Eshba Roman Shoua Adgur Ardzinba Aslan Kobakhia Astamur Ketsba Chief of the Cabinet StaffLeila DzybaDiana Pilia David SanguliaMinisters:Internal AffairsRaul LoluaBeslan KhagbaLeonid DzapshbaAslan Kobakhia Garri Arshba Raul SmyrHealthsince 9 October 2019:Health and Social SecurityDavid GunbaAndzor GoovTamaz TsakhnakiaForeign AffairsViacheslav ChirikbaDaur KoveCulture and the Preservation of Historical and Cultural HeritageElvira ArsaliaDefenceMirab KishmariaEducation, Science, Sports and Youth PolicyEducation and ScienceAdgur KakobaAgricultureRafik OtyrbaTimur EshbaDaur TarbaLabour, Employment and Social SecuritySuren KerselyanRuslan Ajba FinanceAmra KvarandziaDmitri Serikov Djansukh NanbaEconomyNikolai AchbaAdgur ArdzinbaJusticeMarina PiliaEmergency SituationsLev KvitsiniaEnergy, Transport and CommunicationsViktor KhilchevskiResorts and Tourism Avtandil Gartskia Taxes and Duties Rauf TsimtsbaDaur KurmaziaDemography and Repatriation Beslan DbarChairmen of State Committees:RepatriationKhrips JopuaVadim Kharazia Ecology and the EnvironmentSaveli Chitanava Resorts and Tourism Avtandil GartskiaAgriculture Amiran KakaliaStandards, Consumer and Technical SupervisionErik RshtuniAkhra Pachkoria Garik SamanbaCustomsDaur KobakhiaGuram InapshbaState Property Management and PrivatisationKonstantin KatsiaVakhtang PipiaYouth Policysince 16 January 2020:Youth Policy and Sports Alias Avidzba Teimuraz Kvekveskiri Idris Kara-Osman-ogly Mikhail PikaninPhysical Culture and Sports Bagrat Khutaba State Language Policy Nurbei Lomia Batal KhagushStatistics Kama Gogia
Formation President Raul Khajimba and Vice President Vitali Gabnia were elected on 24 August 2014 after the resignation of previous President Alexander Ankvab, and sworn in on 25 September 2014. Khajimba had led the opposition during the May Revolution against Ankvab. After Ankvab's resignation on 1 June, Speaker of the People's Assembly of Abkhazia Valeri Bganba had been Acting President. During the election, Khajimba competed with State Security Service chairman Aslan Bzhania, Defence Minister Mirab Kishmaria and former Interior Minister Leonid Dzapshba. Vitali Gabnia was chairman of the veterans' movement Aruaa before his election.
On 29 September, Khajimba appointed as prime minister fellow opposition leader Beslan Butba, who had already become Acting Vice Premier following Ankvab's resignation. Khajimba tasked Butba with the formation of the cabinet, which took place over the course of October. Also on 29 September, Khajimba appointed Zurab Margania as Chairman of the State Security Service and Astamur Tania as Head of the Presidential Administration. Margania had previously been deputy chairman, leading the Border Guard, and Tania had been appointed acting Head of the Presidential Administration following Ankvab's resignation.
On 15 October, Khajimba approved the structure of the new cabinet. The decree scrapped one Vice Premier, one Ministry – Taxes and Duties, henceforth the State Tax Service – and two State Committees – Resorts and Tourism, merged into the Ministry of Economy, and Youth and Sport, merged into the Ministry of Education. It also created one new Ministry – Energy, Transport and Communications, created from the State Administration for Transport – and one new State Committee – Standards, Consumer and Technical Supervision, created from the State Administration for Standards, Metrology and Certification. It also reconfirmed the Ministry of Emergency Situations, originally created on 21 July. Two Ministries and one State Committee that were expanded and one Ministry that wasn't were accordingly renamed: the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Youth Policy, the Ministry of Culture and the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and the State Committee for Ecology and the Environment (previously and Nature).
Also on 15 October, Khajimba appointed the new Vice Premiers and most Ministers, followed by the final four ministers on 17 October, three Heads of State Committees and a number of lower officials on 21 October and the final two Heads of State Committees on 23 October. Of the Cabinet members appointed by Ankvab, only Defence Minister Mirab Kishmaria (who was also a presidential candidate), Foreign Minister Viacheslav Chirikba, Repatriation State Committee Head Khrips Jopua and Property Management and Privatisation State Committee Head Konstantin Katsia retained their post. Moreover, Interior Minister Raul Lolua and Emergency Situations Minister Lev Kvitsinia, who had entered the government as Acting Ministers after Ankvab's resignation, were permanently appointed by Khajimba. The 2011 vice presidential candidate Shamil Adzynba was appointed First Vice Premier, former Vice Premier Viktor Khilchevski Vice Premier and Minister for Energy, Transport and Communications, Suren Kerselyan Vice Premier and Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Rafik Otyrba Agriculture Minister, Nikolai Achba Economy Minister, Adgur Kakoba Minister for Education, Science, Sports and Youth Policy, Elvira Arsalia Minister for Culture and the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage, David Gunba Health Minister, Amra Kvarandzia Finance Minister, Marina Pilia Justice Minister, Saveli Chitanava Head of the State Committee for Ecology and Nature Conservation, Daur Kobakhia Head of the State Customs Committee and Erik Rshtuni Head of the State Committee for Standards, Consumer and Technical Supervision.
On 22 October, Khajimba appointed Leila Dzyba as the new Chief of the Cabinet Staff. On 28 October, he appointed Mukhamed Kilba as Secretary of the Security Council.
Changes Shortly after his appointment, Health Minister David Gunba confessed to Prime Minister Butba and President Khajimba that he did not feel up to the task. On 28 October 2014, Khajimba appointed Andzor Goov in his stead. On 13 March, President Khajimba carved the Ministry for Resorts and Tourism out of the Ministry for Economy, and appointed Avtandil Gartskia as Minister, who had for some months been acting Security Council Secretary following the ouster of President Ankvab. On 16 March, President Khajimba dismissed Prime Minister Butba and appointed First Vice Premier Adzynba as acting prime minister. In a press conference afterwards, Butba said that he had made Khajimba aware of his intention to resign. He claimed that the Presidential Administration had taken over many of the responsibilities of the Prime Minister, creating a 'second government'. There had been rumors of Butba's resignation almost since the beginning of his term, explained variously by a power struggle between Butba and Khajimba and by Butba's supposed bad performance as prime minister. On 20 March, Khajimba appointed MP and former United Abkhazia Chairman Artur Mikvabia as Butba's successor. On 30 March, Khajimba approved the new cabinet structure, on 8 April he appointed Ministers and on 11 April Chairmen of the State Committees. The number of Vice Premiers was reduced from two to one, with Aquafon Deputy Director General of Operations Dmitri Serikov replacing Suren Kerselyan, who remained Labour Minister, and Viktor Khilchevski, who did not return as Minister, as the Ministry of Energy, Transport and Communications was abolished. The Ministry for Taxes and Duties was re-established and Rauf Tsimtsba, who had already been Minister under Alexander Ankvab, was re-appointed. The policy areas of Youth and Sport were transferred from the Ministry of Education and Science to two separate State Committees, headed by Alias Avidzba and Bagrat Khutaba, respectively. Finally, Rafik Otyrba was replaced as Agriculture Minister by former Gulripshi District Governor Timur Eshba, Nikolai Achba as Economy Minister by Adgur Ardzinba and Khrips Jopua as Repatriation State Committee chairman by Vadim Kharazia. In May, following two confrontations between police officers and members of the State Security Service, Interior Minister Raul Lolua handed in his resignation. It was accepted by President Khajimba on the evening of 14 May, and he appointed former Gagra District Prosecutor Beslan Khagba as Logua's successor. On 26 May, Khajimba appointed Diana Pilia as Head of the Cabinet Staff. On 9 October, Khajimba dismissed Interior Minister 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. On 4 May 2016, Khajimba dismissed Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Astamur Appba upon the latter's request. On 6 May, he accepted the resignation of Head of the Presidential Administration Astamur Tania. In the following days, Presidential Representative to the People's Assembly of Abkhazia Dmitri Shamba served as acting Head of the Presidential Administration. On 16 May, he appointed Gagra District Head Beslan Bartsits as Tania's successor, and on 7 June, First Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce Adgur Lushba as deputy Head. On 30 June, Prime Minister Mikvabia formally opened the new Treasury Department within the Ministry for Finance. Following a pending motion of no-confidence against him, the storming of the Interior Ministry by opposition activists and a failed referendum to bring about an early presidential election, Mikvabia announced his resignation as prime minister on 26 July 2016, accepted on the same day by Khajimba. In an interview with Caucasian Knot, Mikvabia stated that the strong unrest in society was being caused by the government's efforts to structurally improve the financial situation of Abkhazia through measures such as the introduction of VAT, that he did not want to work under conditions where society itself hindered development and that he hoped his resignation would defuse tensions. Khajimba appointed Adzynba as acting prime minister for the second time. On 5 August, Khajimba appointed newly appointed Presidential Administration Head Beslan Bartsits as the new prime minister. Bartsits in turn was temporarily succeeded by First Deputy Head Dmitri Shamba, until Vice Speaker of the People's Assembly Daur Arshba became his permanent replacement on 10 October. The structure of the new cabinet was only decreed on 5 September, one month after Bartsits's appointment, increasing the number of Vice Premiers from two to three, abolishing the post of First Vice Premier and introducing the State Committee for State Language Policy. Most appointments had already been made by that point. On 12 August, Beslan Eshba, who had held the same role in the Government of President Ankvab, was appointed Vice Premier, while Dmitri Serikov was re-appointed as Vice Premier and appointed as finance minister, replacing Amra Kvarandzia. On 15 August, outgoing First Vice Premier Shamil Adzynba gave an interview with Sputnik Abkhazia in which he declared that he had applied for resignation because a number of recent appointments directly contravened the Law on Language which required the use of Abkhaz by government officials. Adzynba's resignation was granted that evening by President Khajimba.