The Republic of Abkhazia is recognized as an independent country today by only the Russian Federation, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and a handful of other states although it declared its independence during the course of the Russo-Georgian conflict of 2008. That lack of recognition, however, has not deterred Abkhazia from pursuing state-building activities, the most important of which were the presidential elections held on August 26, 2011, following President Sergei Bagapsh’s death in office in May of that year. Three candidates, Aleksandr Ankvab, Raul Khajimba, and Sergei Shamba, competed for the post, which was won by Ankvab.
The Hoover Institution has acquired a set of election campaign literature from all three candidates, despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the United States and Abkhazia. The material, including posters, brochures, and leaflets, can be found in the Abkhaz subject collection; those materials provide a valuable insight into the functioning of this nascent state.
