International

The de facto parliament in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia has called on the separatist region's leader, Raul Khajimba, to step down.

In a resolution adopted on January 9, the self-styled lawmakers said the move aimed at avoiding “further destabilization in society,” which they said could have “irreparable consequences.”

After the vote, Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Khajimba as saying: "I am staying in office and performing my constitutional duties."

Earlier in the day, demonstrators stormed the building housing the de facto presidential administration and demanded the separatist leader’s resignation.

An RFE/RL correspondent in the regional capital, Sukhumi, said dozens of protesters broke into the building, breaking almost all of the windows on the first floor while hundreds more outside chanted "Khajimba, Go Away!"