DRAFT-AGREEMETN of the Parity Commission on the major provisions for the management of Abkhazia

1. Abkhazia is the autonomous part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia.

2. The Autonomous Abkhazia, in addition to the legislative organ and the legislation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia shall have its local legislative Assembly – the  People’s Council of Abkhazia elected through universal, direct and equal elections by secret ballot suffrage.

3. The members of the  People’s Council of Abkhazia shall the same rights and privileges as the members of the Constituent Assembly of Georgia granted them under the Decree of 9 May 1919.

4. Abkhazia shall represent the separate electoral district at the elections of the legislative organ of Georgia and enjoy the proportional representation in this organ.

5. Commissariat on management of Abkhazia shall exercise the executive power in Abkhazia.

6. The terms of convocation and duration of sessions of the People’s Council, as well as the Regulations on executive organ (Commissariat) shall be determined by the People’s Council of Abkhazia.

7.  The  People’s Council of Abkhazia shall have the right to initiate the legislation.

8. The members of the People’s Council, representative of the executive power, as well as all the public officials shall take the oath and draw up the warrant on dedication to the laws of the Republic and the Autonomous Abkhazia.

9. The People’s Council shall have the right to adopt the laws on all of the issues, including: domestic affairs, tax and customs system, establishment of common courts and Senate, civil, criminal and national legislation, post, telegraph, railway of a common-state importance.

10. The  People’s Council of Abkhazia shall have the right to introduce the taxes, form its own budget and finances established by the law of the Republic.

11. In the sphere of land management the  People’s Council of Abkhazia shall have the right increase or reduce the land taxes and the conditions on rendering the lands to the working class pursuant to the common agrarian laws and Decrees issued by the Republic.

12. The lands, estates, entrails having the common-state status and are not the subject to distribution is the property of the Republic and they shall be managed and utilized by the  Abkhaz People’s Council under general guidance and control of the Central power.

13. The central power of the Republic shall exercise the control through its plenipotentiary representative on compliance of the legal acts and Decrees issued by the  People’s Council of Abkhazia with the common-laws of the Republic.

14. In case of incompatibility of the legal acts and Decrees issued by the Peoples Council of Abkhazia with the laws of the Republic, the Central Government shall be authorized to terminate the validity of those documents within 15 days after publication and submit them to the Senate for discussion.

15. Georgian shall be the general state language in Abkhazia, but the  People’s Council of Abkhazia has the right to introduce the language of instruction at educational establishments and the language of paperwork at the state and public organizations at its own discretion.

16. The rights and responsibilities, as well as the civil rights and freedoms of citizens on the territory of Abkhazia shall be secured under the common laws of the Republic.

Authentic with original: Head of Chancellery of the People’s Council of Abkhazia; sealed.

7 July 1920

(Tamaz Nadareishvili, David Chitaia, Paata Davitaia, Problem of Separatisms in Georgia (History and Present), book 1. Tb., 2003, p. 229-231/in Georgian; Central State Historical Archive of Georgia, f. 1833, desc. 1, file 865, p. 11)