[2] After the nomination period ended on 2 November, the Central Election Commission verified the signature lists and whether candidates satisfied the set requirements.

To test the nominees' proficiency in Abkhaz, it established a language commission consisting of Aleksei Kaslandzia, Batal Khagush, Eva Tania, Adgur Skinkuba and Fatima Kvarchelia.

[17] Bagapsh first addressed the matter of his candidacy when during a press conference in Moscow on 18 April 2009 he announced that he would probably make use of his constitutional right to run for a second term.

The alliance would have combined Ardzinba's backing by part of the business community and his financial resources with Khajimba's elector popularity.

The pair said they would run together during two meetings with voters, and the idea was that they would receive the joint nomination by the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia.

The congress of the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia planned on 29 October was called off, and Ardzinba was instead nominated by an initiative group that day.

The power-sharing deal between Bagapsh and Khajimba to end the post-election crisis meant that Lakoba could no longer become vice president.

[25] In an interview with Caucasian Knot on 3 September Lakoba stated that he would not participate in the December 2009 presidential election and he called absurd the notion that he would join the opposition.

[26] Nevertheless, in an interview with the newspaper Nuzhnaya on 17 November, Lakoba stated that as a private citizen he supported Khajimba's candidacy and he praised his work in the Security Council.

Concretely, he proposed removing the legal and economic departments of the presidential administration in light of the existence of the Justice and Economy Ministries, and the cutting of the position of vice president.

Regarding the inhabitants of the Gali District, Khajimba denied that he was against granting them Abkhazian citizenship and passports but argued that this should take place according to laws reflecting the will of the people.

His vice presidential candidate Ankvab talked about the achievements of the current government, claiming that 10,622 people had received a total of 67 million rubles in assistance.

[35] On 24 November Ardzinba gave a press conference in which he stated that if he were elected President, he would do everything to bring together the fragmented people of Abkhazia and to remove the divide between 'us' and 'them'.

The private channel Abaza TV, owned by Beslan Butba, also offered equal amounts of airtime to all candidates.

It also criticised an article by Daur Achugba in Forum for its gross unsubstantiated accusations against the government and President Bagapsh in particular, and its statements directed against a national minority.

[30] With input from all involved parties, the Public Chamber drafted a ten-point social contract to regulate election conduct, which it opened up for signing from 13 till 18 November.

[12] In its second report on 1 December, the League of Voters "For Fair Elections" acknowledged that there had been some flaws in the way the Public Contract had been drafted, but it nevertheless criticised President Bagapsh for refusing to sign it.

In its first report, the League "For Fair Elections" admonished certain government officials for calling on voters to vote for President Bagapsh.

According to the press agency Apsnypress, the video had indeed featured several Russian nationals speaking approvingly of Bagapsh, although they did not explicitly recommend voting for him.

[31] In its second report, the League "For Fair Elections" also criticised the fact that the first President of Adygea Aslan Dzharimov had participated in Bagapsh's campaign.

The League also considered the general ambiguous effects of making the Abkhazian passport the sole document granting participation in the election.

[39] On 19 November, in Gagra the car of Vitali Azhiba burned down, head of the regional branch of Beslan Butba's Party of the Economical Development of Abkhazia.

Butba condemned the events on 21 November as "planned political provocations, aimed at destabilising the situation in Abkhazia and intidating society".

It lamented "the inability of authorities to ensure the safety of citizens and the rule of law in such a challenging period for our nation and state" and it warned that should the government not in the course of the following days take decisive steps towards resolving the crimes, Aruaa would consider it partly to blame for the resulting civil unrest.

Minister of the Interior Otar Khetsia stated on 21 November that criminal cases had been opened by law enforcement agencies in Gagra and Aradu.

Khetsia also confirmed that a warehouse for kiwifruit had burned down in Aradu, and that everything would be done to find the perpetrators, but he expressed his surprise at the fact that reporters from Abaza TV (owned by Butba) had been at the crime scene before officers from the Ochamchira police department.

[40] The prosecutor's office declared on 30 November that the incidents were under investigation, and it condemned accusations of government involvement, warning that it would prosecute any attempts to destabilise the situation.

He expressed his conviction that all opposition candidates would conduct their activities within the law, but he accused the government of planning fraud and of using its administrative resources to support the campaign of Bagapsh.

[30] On 3 December Head of the Central Election Commission Batal Tabagua also stated that although no official complaints had been made, reports had come in concerning the bribing of voters.

[citation needed] After the election results were announced, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Bagapsh for his victory.