SUKHUM. Jan 10 (Interfax) - Abkhazian opposition bloc leader Aslan Bzhania addressed people of the republic on Friday morning, asking "everyone who cares" to gather near the government compound in the afternoon and support the protesters.
Bzhania's address was published on Facebook. "I am asking everyone who cares and who has such a possibility to gather in front of the presidential administration and the parliament. Important decisions are due to be made here, and we need your support," the opposition leader said in his address.
Bzhania made a separate address to police officers.
"Allow me to address honest officers, soldiers, and generals. The future of our homeland will be decided today. I am asking you to show respect for our citizens and to demonstrate political culture. There should be no clashes. Everything should be done to resolve the situation with dignity," he said.
"The protesters should be supported. These are your brothers and sisters: stand up alongside them," Bzhania said.
Abkhazian Interior Minister Raul Smyr, in turn, told the press that the agency was working to prevent clashes between protesters and presidential supporters on the square in front of administrative buildings in Sukhum.
"Police officers have been tasked with preventing clashes between pro-government supporters and the opposition. Therefore, we have reinforced our units and increased the number of law enforcement officers on the square in front of the presidential administration. They will be maintaining order," Smyr said.
Opposition activists and supporters started a protest demonstration in Sukhum on Thursday. They insisted that incumbent Abkhazian President Raul Khajimba did not actually garner enough votes to win the presidential election in 2019 and demanded that a new election be called. The protest started near the Abkhazia Drama Theater, after which the activists moved toward the presidential office and attempted to storm it. They blockaded the building later in the evening.
Khajimba told Interfax that the republic's authorities were doing everything they could to put the situation back on the constitutional track.