Constitution Day of Abkhazia (26/11)

On November 26, Abkhazia celebrates Constitution Day. It is a holiday and weekend in the country, to which various cultural and educational events are timed.

On November 26, 1994, the Supreme Council of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia adopted the «Constitution of a sovereign, democratic, legal state — of the Republic of Abkhazia».

On the same day, deputies of the country's highest legislative body elected the first president of —, Vladislav Ardzinba, who had previously been the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the country.

The Constitution of Abkhazia was adopted in difficult conditions, when the ring of economic blockade was really shrinking around the republic. Essentially, the Constitution was adopted in conditions of devastation and poverty, an external threat. On October 3, 1999, it was approved by popular vote (referendum). Subsequently, the country's Constitution was amended twice — in 2014 and 2016.

Today the Constitution of the Republic of Abkhazia (abh. Andsny Akhainbakarra Akonstitutsia) — is the basic law of the country, the core of the entire state. Article 1 of this fundamental document states: «Republic of Abkhazia (Apsny) — is a sovereign, democratic, rule-of-law state, historically established by the right of the people to free self-determination».

The Constitution of Abkhazia is the legal basis for strong presidential power, and it also enshrines the integrity and inviolability of the country’s territory, guarantees human rights and freedoms, and establishes civil peace and harmony.

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