Abkhaz politician
Almasbei Ivanovich Kchach (Russian: Алмасбей Иванович Кчач) was a former government member and vice-presidential candidate from Abkhazia who committed suicide when investigators came to arrest him in connection with an assassination attempt on President Alexander Ankvab.[1]
Political career under President Ardzinba
On 2 June 1996, President Vladislav Ardzinba appointed Almasbei Kchach to succeed Givi Agrba as interior minister. Kchach had up until that point been head of Ardzinba's own security office.[2] He remained in that position until 2 July 2001, when he was replaced by Supreme Court Judge Zurab Agumava.[3] However, Kchach again became interior minister on 1 November after Agumava was appointed to head the State Security Service.[4][5]
On 8 May 2003, after the appointment of Raul Khajimba as prime minister, Kchach was again replaced as interior minister, by Abesalom Beia.[6] On 6 June, he was appointed Secretary of the Security Council,[7] succeeding Astamur Tarba who had been made Vice-Premier.[8] Kchach stayed on in this position until the end of Ardzinba's presidency in 2005.[1]
Member of the opposition
After Sergei Bagapsh succeeded Vladislav Ardzinba as president in 2005, Almasbei Kchach joined the new opposition and unsuccessfully participated in a number of elections. In the 2007 parliamentary elections, he made it to the second round of the election in the eighth constituency (Pitsunda), but narrowly lost the run-off with 1195 to 1263 votes.[9] In the 2009 presidential election Kchach ran as vice presidential candidate under businessman Beslan Butba. The pair came in fourth place with 8.25% of the vote share.[1][10] Kchach again tried to win constituency number eight in the 2012 parliamentary elections, but failed to pass the first round, achieving a 24.90% third place.[11]
References
