Public Chamber of Abkhazia


The Public Chamber of Abkhazia is an advisory body to the President of the internationally partially recognised Republic of Abkhazia.

Creation of the Public Chamber

The law on the Public Chamber of Abkhazia entered into force on January 1, 2007 and the first session of the Public Chamber was opened by President Bagapsh on July 20 of that year. Its self-declared purpose is fivefold:
The Public Chamber is composed of 35 members drawn from civil society, 13 of whom are nominated by the President, 11 by local administrations and 11 by political parties and social movements.
The Chamber is headed by a secretary, a position currently held by Natella Akaba. Other members include the rector of the Abkhazian State University, Aleko Gvaramia, the writers Alexei Gogoi and Daur Nachkebia and former Prime Minister Sokrat Jinjolia.
On 29 October 2013, Natella Akaba was re-elected as Secretary, while former Prime Minister Viacheslav Tsugba and Valeri Ardzinba were elected Deputy Chairmen.
On 2 November 2016, Akaba was again re-elected as Secretary, and Danil Ubiria and Valeri Ardzinba as deputy secretaries.