On November 7 the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Republic of Abkhazia held a conference on "Elections in a Multipolar World: Sovereignty, Trust, and the Transformation of Electoral Processes." The event brought together representatives of government agencies, the expert community, and human rights activists.

Anas Kishmaria, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Republic of Abkhazia addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. In her address, she emphasized the importance of fair and transparent elections as the foundation of democracy and the protection of citizens' rights.

"We live in an era of rapid change, when familiar geopolitical landscapes are literally being transformed before our eyes. This leaves its mark on all spheres of public life, including, of course, electoral processes.

This raises a number of serious questions: how to ensure genuine independence of citizens' will when external factors can significantly influence the course of election campaigns; how to restore and strengthen trust in the voting process itself and election results; how to counter disinformation and manipulation; and how to adapt the existing electoral system to various kinds of transformations while maintaining its reliability and legitimacy.

That is why we have gathered here today to try to understand these challenges together," the ombudsman noted.