DECREE ISSUED BY THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE ABKHAZ ASSR on Certain laws and Decrees, issued on 29 January 1991 by the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR.

The Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR takes into consideration the fact that the first session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia adopted the law on election of the local self-governance of the Republic of Georgia – the assemblies and issued Decree on holding the election of assemblies on 31 March of this year.

These legal acts gave a rise to numerous questions among the employees of the soviet organs and the population of the Abkhaz SSR, which have been delivered to the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR.

The presidium of the Abkhaz ASSR decrees:

1. To give an interpretation to the fact, that the autonomous republic is authorized to decide independently the issues related to the structures of the local governance, electoral system and holding the election as it is prescribed by the Constitutions of the Abkhaz ASSR, the Republic of Georgia and the USSR.

2. To entrust the Permanent commission on the Legislation and Socialist Law with a task of discussing the law “On Elections of the People’s Deputies of the Local Councils” at the next sitting of the 10th session of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR.

(…)

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR V. Ardzinba

7 February 1991

(Newspaper “Sovetskaia Abkhazia”, # 21, 12 February 1991)