Aslan Bzhania, the leader of Georgia's Moscow-backed separatist region of Abkhazia, said on November 16 that he was "ready" to step down if opposition supporters agree to leave the parliament compound in the capital, Sukhumi.
The opposition called for a fresh rally on November 16 after protesters the previous day stormed the parliament grounds over a real estate deal with Moscow and demanded Bzhania’s ouster.
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However, the opposition appeared determined to ignore Bzhania's demands.
"Aslan Bzhania is resorting to desperate attempts to preserve his government," a so-called Coordination Council of the opposition said in a statement, adding, "His reign is over."
The statement accused Bzhania of "enriching his relatives and a narrow circle close to him," calling on opposition supporters to gather in the capital, Sukhumi, in the early afternoon.
Local media said lawmakers had on November 15 failed to ratify the deal, which opponents fear would allow wealthy Russians to acquire property in the picturesque Black Sea region, pushing real estate prices higher and making it unaffordable for locals.
Opposition representatives said that after initially demanding only that the deal be canceled, protesters are now calling for Bzhania's ouster.
Bzhania, a former chief of Abkhazia's state security service, told his supporters on November 16 that "enormous pressure is being exerted on members of parliament so that the parliament makes an unlawful decision to dismiss the president." But he warned that the "2014 scenario will not be repeated," an allusion to one of two instances when Abkhaz leaders resigned due to opposition protests.
On June 1, 2014, Abkhaz leader Aleksander Ankvab resigned following opposition protests led by Raul Khajimba, who took his place only to resign, too, after the Supreme Court overturned the results of the 2019 presidential election. Bzhania then became president after winning a March 2020 vote.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia's rule after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Moscow recognized the independence of the two regions after Russian forces repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war in the summer of 2008, which ended with Georgia's defeat.
Most countries still recognize Abkhazia as part of Georgia, but its economy is almost entirely dependent on Moscow, which pays the salaries of public administrators as well as social payments to residents.
Georgian pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili responded to the tensions in what Tbilisi regards as its occupied region by accusing Russia of "taking accelerated steps toward annexation" of Abkhazia.
Tensions have been running high in the region in recent weeks, with opposition activists demanding an end to Russia's dominance over the region and its economy, though opposition parties on November 15 said their protest is not against Russia.
"The actions of the protesters are not directed against relations between Russia and Abkhazia," they said in a joint statement. "In fact, we, the opposition, have always emphasized the importance of fraternal and strategic ties between our countries."
They said their anger was directed at Bzhania, whom they accused of using relations with Moscow "for his own selfish gain during his entire rule."
Russia's Foreign Ministry posted a statement in which spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Abkhaz opposition of exceeding legal means and "provoking an escalation."
She said Russia was not interfering and expected the situation "will be resolved exclusively by peaceful political means."
Zakharova recommended that any Russian citizens in Abkhazia leave "if possible" and that others refrain from traveling there.