The Communist Party of Abkhazia (CPA) (Abkhaz: Аҧсны Акомунисттә Апартиа) is a political party in the Georgian break-away republic of Abkhazia. The party leader is Lev Shamba.
The CPA was founded in March 1921 with the demand of a separate Abkhaz Soviet Republic. It was then led by E. Eshba. Eshba had formed a Bolshevik military-revolutionary committee in Sukhumi in the summer of 1918. Eshba's group demanded direct integration of Abkhazia into the Soviet Union. During the Soviet period, the CPA was a part of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the CPA was reconstructed as an independent party. In 1988, the CPA demanded Abkhaz secession. In the nineties, it was led by Enver Kapba. During the first Presidential election of Abkhazia, in 1999, it supported President Ardzinba (who ran unopposed).
The CPA maintains close contacts with communist groups in Russia. It is affiliated to the Union of Communist Parties – Communist Party of the Soviet Union. However, unlike many of the other communist organisations in the region, the CPA has denounced the political legacy of Joseph Stalin.
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