Anri Djergenia
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Anri Mikha-ipa Djergenia
6th Prime Minister of Abkhazia
In office 7 June 2001 – 29 November 2002
President	Vladislav Ardzinba
Preceded by	Vyacheslav Tsugba
Succeeded by	Gennady Gagulia
Born	1941 Leningrad, Russian SFSR , Soviet Union
Political party	formerly Amtsakhara
Alma mater	Moscow State University
Occupation	retired

Anri Mikha-ipa Djergenia (Abkhaz: Анри Миха-иҧа Џьергениа) (born 1941) has been one of the leading politicians of the internationally unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia since it achieved de facto independence from Georgia. From June 2001 to November 2002 he was the republic's Prime Minister and for a time Djergenia looked to be the favourite to succeed Abkhazia's first president Vladislav Ardzinba.

Early life and career

Djergenia was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. He graduated from the Moscow State University with a diploma in Law in 1963. During Soviet times, he held several offices within the administration of the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic: investigator at the Interior Ministry, chief investigator of the Prosecutor’s Office of Sukhumi, Public Court Chairman of Sukhumi and member of the Supreme Court of the Abkhazian ASSR.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, from 1992 to 2001, Djergenia served as the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Abkhazia, as which, amongst other things, he had to defend Abkhazia's treatment of its prisoners of war.

From 1990 to 2002 Djergenia was the chief negotiator and designated representative at the Georgian-Abkhazian peace for President Vladislav Ardzinba. In this capacity, he personally handled most of the negotiations with Russia, Georgia, the United States and the United Nations. He is also the only Abkhazian representative to have addressed the United Nations Security Council, after achieving Russian support to do so.

Prime Minister

Djergenia was appointed to the post of Prime Minister June 7, 2001. Due to President Ardzinba's deteriorating health, Djergenia could lead Abkhazia politically, unlike previous Prime Ministers, who had mainly concerned themselves with economic policy. Perhaps even more so than other Abkhazian politicians, he was pro-Russian, and vociferously opposed to reunification with Georgia. Djergenia openly discussed working towards associate membership of Russia and encouraged Abkhazians to take up Russian passports, which a large percentage of the population eventually did. He also pledged a military alliance with Eduard Kokoity, President of South Ossetia to discourage Georgia from attacking either entity.

On 29 November 2002, Djergenia was fired by President Ardzinba, officially due to his failure to ensure fulfilment of budget targets and to prepare adequately for winter. However, for the first nine months of that year budget had been implemented fully and Djergenia's dismissal was widely seen as politically motivated. At the moment of his sacking, he had just returned from Moscow where he had signed a contract on supplying electricity to Krasnodar krai from Abkhazia, and he was widely seen at the time as the main candidate for succeeding Ardzinba as president. The President's wife, Svetlana Ardzinba, was Djergenia's first cousin, and Djergenia was thought to have been building up support in Moscow. Some think that Ardzinba found that Djergenia was too openly ambitious about the presidency, that he put Russian interests above Abkhazian interest, or that he dropped support for Djergenia due to his unpopularity with the Abkhazian population.

Djergenia was replaced by former Prime Minister Gennady Gagulia. This led to a shift in Abkhazian foreign policy, as Djergenia, while still steadfast on the question of independence, was much more open to negotiations than his successor.

2004 Presidential elections

Already during the 2002 Parliamentary elections, while still Prime Minister, Djergenia had supported the parliamentary candidates of public movement Amtsakhara. In 2003, he spoke at Amtsakhara's congress, where he argued in favour of reducing Presidential powers and moving towards a mixed presidential/parliamentary model of government. Djergenia then became Amtsakhara's favoured candidate for the October 2004 presidential elections before it entered into an alliance with United Abkhazia and chose to back Sergei Bagapsh instead. A minority faction of Amtsakhara continued its support for Djergenia, and he did enter into the elections, with Ruslan Kishmaria as his Vice-Presidential candidate, head of the Gali district assembly. The pair came in only fourth place in the first round, receiving 2200 votes, and did not contest the second.

References

• "Abkhazia at a Crossroads: On the Domestic Political Situation in the Republic of Abkhazia." . Iran and the Caucasus 9 (1): 159-186. Retrieved on 2008-07-10. 
• "Abkhaz prime minister ousted", War and Peace in the Caucasus, Institute for War & Peace Reporting (2002-12-02), pp. 204-205. Retrieved on 2008-07-10.