The second round of the presidential elections in the Republic of South Ossetia ended under the leadership of the 41-year-old leader of the opposition candidate Nykhas party, Alan Gagloev. After counting 18 percent of the protocols, it receives 59.21 percent of the votes. The incumbent head of state, Anatoly Bibilov, was supported by 37% of the electorate. And he is already accepted your defeat:
“I would like to thank all the citizens of the republic who fulfilled their civic duty, came to the ballot box and voted. I want to express my special gratitude to the voters who understand and support me – thank you all so much!
You know that I have repeatedly said, both in discussions and in meetings with residents of the republic: for me, the choice of the people is beyond doubt. As always, I keep my word. I think the elections were held, you all know the results.
I wish Alan Eduardovich Gagloev successful work for the benefit of the people of the Republic of South Ossetia and I really hope that he will succeed.”
He added that on May 9, all residents of the republic will celebrate the 77th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. “The Victory Parade, the Immortal Regiment is a sacred event for every Ossetian. In memory of the heroic acts with which we were raised, we must pay homage to our saviors. Congratulations to everyone on this wonderful holiday! Success and prosperity to all of us!” – concluded the current head of the republic.
Create a new team
In turn, Alan Gagloev said that he was proud to recognize the results of the election of the people of the republic and the election of his opponent in the second round, Anatoly Bibilov.
“I am proud on behalf of the people that the people expressed their opinion and that Anatoly Ilyich recognized the elections. I want to thank people for their support and trust. We will form a new team,” he said.
He noted that as the head of the republic, he plans to raise the bar for improving relations with Russia.
“We are ready to raise the bar in relations with our strategic partner. To develop developments with Russia, which already exist in various areas of our interaction, ”said the author. TASS.
predictable named The results of the voting in South Ossetia, Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Citizens’ Relations.
“I think it was clear after the first lap. It seems to me that we should thank the outgoing president for his work and understand that any political person who voted and won the elections in South Ossetia will adhere to the course of cooperation with Russia in all spheres of the life of the republic,” he told socialbites.ca “.
Interestingly, five years ago, in the 2017 election, Gagloev won about 11% of the vote, while Bibilov won in the first round with the support of about 55% of the electorate.
Gagloev was born on February 6, 1981 in Tskhinval. He is married, has two children. From 2004 to 2017, he served on the South Ossetian State Security Committee, where he retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He said he was confident in victory ahead of the 2022 election, but was ready to accept a loss “based on the results of an honest vote”.
This time in the first lap Gagloev was the leader of the race, received 36.9% of the votes. Bibilov took second place with 33.5%.
Participation and violations
Fatima Dzhioeva, member of the Republic’s CEC, said turnout in the second round was 68.2%. She explained that these data do not take into account the voting results outside of South Ossetia.
The head of the department, Magomed Bagaev, said that the Prosecutor General’s Office did not register any reports of violations from candidates and parties. However, he explained that law enforcement had received a referral from international observers. Regarding the blocking of the movement in Tskhinvali, it is considered.
The head of the security department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of South Ossetia, Mair Gagloev, announced that international observers declared illegal interference in their work.
South Ossetia CEC President Emilia Gagieva said that there were complaints about violations during the elections. receivedhowever, they cannot affect the voting results.
Vitaly Cheldiev, a member of the Russian observer delegation in Tskhinvali and a member of the parliament of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, stated that during the visits to the two polling stations, observers from the candidates reported violations. According to him, “South Ossetia has proven to have excellent selection experience.”
In turn, Sergei Tsekov, head of the delegation of the Federation Council, a member of the committee on international relations, said that the republic’s electoral legislation “could serve as an example for many other states that are specifically prosecuted to teach both South Ossetia and the Russian Federation.” The senator added that the delegation evaluated the voting procedure “absolutely positive”.
Will there be a referendum?
Scheduled sometime after elections in South Ossetia to manage Referendum on unification with Russia.
After his defeat, Anatoly Bibilov announced that the plebiscite would be held, all necessary documents were collected and submitted to the Central Election Commission.
“There will be a referendum. The CEC should set the date by taking all these into account and submitting it to the Supreme Court.” DEA News”.
As previously reported, after the presidential elections, the sworn-in of the elected head of state and related procedures, a referendum on the entry of the republic into the Russian Federation is scheduled for May-June 2022. Bibilov stated that two plebiscites could be held in South Ossetia: the first on joining Russia, the second on unification with North Ossetia.
According to Deputy Zatulin, regarding the integration of the republic into the Russian Federation, “it all depends on how Russia will react to this, whether it will contribute to the strengthening of stability and security in the region, or whether it will trigger some kind of shock.”
“I think there is no threat hanging over South Ossetia right now, threatening it. I understand that many people in South Ossetia are really trying to solve this problem, to unite not only with Russia, but also with North Ossetia in Russia, so that Ossetia ceases to be North and South. But we need to take a closer look at what is happening in the Caucasus. It is clear that the referendum in South Ossetia will cause an explosion of emotions in neighboring Georgia. we are running now Special military operation in Ukraine and it seems to me that we should not pull the beard, ”says Zatulin.
Reforms in the political system
Experts say that the republic has long been in need of reforms of the country’s political system. According to his predictions, Gagloev should focus primarily on this.
The winner must understand that South Ossetia needs real systemic reforms. He said that he would establish a popular unity government that would include all healthy social and political forces, and that he should not reject it. The leader of the Fadybasta party, Vyacheslav Gobozov, must understand that his success as president depends on how effectively reforms are carried out in the country’s political system.
According to him, the presidential institution itself also needs reform. “These elections showed us all the loopholes that exist in our legislation, not just the electoral law,” he said.
As political scientist Alan Dzhussoev puts it, “Purely technically, the elections were very well held.” “My personal expectation is that our current pro-Russian policy in South Ossetia will be followed and there will be no deviations from it globally,” he said.