Badra Gunba won the second round of voting in the elections and became the president of the "self-proclaimed republic" of Abkhazia. He received 54.7% of the vote, the Central Election Commission of the region reported. The second candidate, Adgur Ardzinba, received 41.5% of the vote. The turnout was 70% of residents.
Badra Gunba worked in various government agencies, including the Saratov administration and the Cabinet of Ministers of Abkhazia. In 2009-2014, he served as the Minister of Culture of Abkhazia, in 2020 he became vice president, and in 2024 - acting president after the resignation of Aslan Bzhania.
In mid-December 2024, former President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania refused to register as a candidate for the presidential elections. Badra Gunba was nominated from his team. On November 19, 2024, the Abkhazian parliament accepted Bzhania's early resignation, which was one of the opposition's demands. After that, the former head of the unrecognized republic announced his intention to run for office again, but later changed his mind.
