Abkhazian presidential polls pass voting threshold

Presidential elections in Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia have exceeded the voting threshold of 51 percent turnout, the head of Abkhazia's Central Election Committee, Batal Tabagua, said. "Presidential elections in Abkhazia have passed the voting threshold with the turnout exceeding 61.63 percent as of 6:00 p.m. Moscow time [14:00 GMT]," Tabagua said. A source in the election committee said the preliminary results of the polls would be announced by midnight. Abkhazia is voting to elect a new president following the death of President Sergei Bagapsh in May. The republic, which has 143,000 eligible voters, had to choose between three candidates: acting President Alexander Ankvab, Prime Minister Sergei Shamba and opposition leader Raul Khadzhimba. According to Abkhazian voting legislation, the elections are recognized as legitimate if more than half of voters participate. Russia recognized Abkhazia and another former Georgian republic, South Ossetia, in 2008 after a five-day war with Georgia over the latter which began when Georgia attacked the republic in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Later, the two states' independence was recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela and the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru. Another Pacific island nation, Vanuatu, recognized Abkhazia's independence