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People are voting in parliamentary elections in the Black Sea region of Abkhazia which has been trying to break away from Georgia since a war in the early 1990s. Russia has expressed support for the separatists' ambitions and Abkhaz independence which is not internationally recognized. It' said to be a key factor in the long-running political conflict between Georgia and Russia. |
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None of the candidates in this election is proposing that Abkhazia should ever unite with Georgia again. More than a decade after the war here, most people believe, independence is their destiny. The separatist Abkhaz authorities hoped the vote will demonstrate the region has the potential to become an independent, democratic state, but the Georgian government insists, Abkhazia is part of Georgia and these elections are not legitimate. |
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Voters are also going to the polls in Estonia today in the first parliamentary elections anywhere in the world in which people were able to vote online. Some 30,000 people, out of 900,000 eligible voters, use their computer-readable identity card to do so. They aren't allowed to vote online on the polling day itself. |