South Ossetian presidential election, 2011
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections were held in South Ossetia
on 13 November 2011. A referendum
was held on the same day. A run-off was held on 27 November 2011, but its results were invalidated by the Supreme Court of South Ossetia. A new election will be held on 25 March 2012.
is constitutionally banned from serving a third term in office. Attempts were made to call a referendum to change the constitution, but this was blocked by the Supreme Court. Another attempt to change the constitution by a two-thirds majority in parliament
was blocked by parliamentary chairman and Communist Party of South Ossetia
leader Stanislav Kochiev
.
Kokoity himself has stated he has no intention in seeking a third term, and calls on everybody to refrain from initiatives to allow him to serve a third term. Kokoity does make it clear that he will not disappear from the South Ossetian political scene.
In the end, 17 candidates were registered by the electoral commission, including former Prime minister Merab Chigoev
, former education minister Alla Dzhioyeva
and incumbent Emergencies Minister Anatoly Bibilov. Days before the election, candidate Ivar Bestaev withdrew from the election, his name was not included on the ballots. This left 16 candidates, but in the following days five more candidates withdrew, including Chigoev.
Anatoly Bibilov claimed to be backed by Russia. A letter in his support from Vladimir Putin was read in a an election meeting, several United Russia
members of parliament visited the republic and expressed their support for Bibilov. Alla Dzhioyeva received support from Dzambolat Tedeev (who had been denied a registration in the presidential elections) and Anatoly Barankevich, former minister of defence of South Ossetia, who were both in opposition to the incumbent president Eduard Kokoity. She campaigned on the deficit of fuel, lack of cellular network in parts of the republic and misappropriated funds provided for the post-war reconstruction of South Ossetia by Russia.
. Special polling stations were opened for South Ossetian citizens living in North Ossetia-Alania
.
In South Ossetia, a turnout of 50% + 1 vote is required for any election to be valid. This threshold was reached around 16:00. Provisional results are expected around 23:00.
filed a complaint at the Supreme Court of South Ossetia, alledging Dzhioyeva's campaign used illegal ways to secure the victory. The Supreme Court subsequently declared the elections invalid, and new elections were called for 25 March 2012.
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
on 13 November 2011. A referendum
South Ossetian referendum, 2011
A referendum was held in South Ossetia on 13 November 2011. The referendum was originally scheduled for 11 September 2011, but on 12 August the decision was made to postpone it...
was held on the same day. A run-off was held on 27 November 2011, but its results were invalidated by the Supreme Court of South Ossetia. A new election will be held on 25 March 2012.
Candidates
Incumbent president Eduard KokoityEduard Kokoity
Eduard Dzhabeyevich Kokoity is the de facto President of South Ossetia.-Early life:Eduard Kokoity was born on 31 October 1964 in Tskhinvali, in the Georgian SSR, a part of the Soviet Union at the time. Kokoity was a member, and champion, of the Soviet Union's national wrestling team...
is constitutionally banned from serving a third term in office. Attempts were made to call a referendum to change the constitution, but this was blocked by the Supreme Court. Another attempt to change the constitution by a two-thirds majority in parliament
Parliament of South Ossetia
The Parliament of South Ossetia is the unicameral legislature of the partially recognized Republic of South Ossetia. Members are elected using a system of Party-list proportional representation. South Ossetia has a multi-party system, and currently 3 political parties are represented in parliament....
was blocked by parliamentary chairman and Communist Party of South Ossetia
Communist Party of South Ossetia
The Communist Party of South Ossetia is a communist political party in South Ossetia, a partially recognized Caucasian republic, considered by most countries to be a part of Georgia. The party was founded in 1993. As of 2004, the party claimed a membership of 1500...
leader Stanislav Kochiev
Stanislav Kochiev
Stanislav Jakovlevich Kochiev |Kurta]], Tskhinvali district, South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union), is a South Ossetian politician, who is a former presidential candidate and currently the chairman of the Parliament of South Ossetia.Kochiev was born in Kurta, and went to...
.
Kokoity himself has stated he has no intention in seeking a third term, and calls on everybody to refrain from initiatives to allow him to serve a third term. Kokoity does make it clear that he will not disappear from the South Ossetian political scene.
In the end, 17 candidates were registered by the electoral commission, including former Prime minister Merab Chigoev
Merab Chigoev
Merab Ilyich Chigoev is a South Ossetian politician and former Prime Minister, from August 1998 until June 2001. He was also Minister of Justice in Yury Morozov's cabinet.Chigoev graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1973....
, former education minister Alla Dzhioyeva
Alla Dzhioyeva
Alla Aleksandrovna Dzhioyeva is a South Ossetian politician, who served as the Education Minister in 2002–2008 and contested the 2011 presidential election....
and incumbent Emergencies Minister Anatoly Bibilov. Days before the election, candidate Ivar Bestaev withdrew from the election, his name was not included on the ballots. This left 16 candidates, but in the following days five more candidates withdrew, including Chigoev.
Anatoly Bibilov claimed to be backed by Russia. A letter in his support from Vladimir Putin was read in a an election meeting, several United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
members of parliament visited the republic and expressed their support for Bibilov. Alla Dzhioyeva received support from Dzambolat Tedeev (who had been denied a registration in the presidential elections) and Anatoly Barankevich, former minister of defence of South Ossetia, who were both in opposition to the incumbent president Eduard Kokoity. She campaigned on the deficit of fuel, lack of cellular network in parts of the republic and misappropriated funds provided for the post-war reconstruction of South Ossetia by Russia.
Election day
Polling stations were open from 8:00 until 20:00. There were 86 such stations, located all over the country, as well as in Moscow and SukhumiSukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
. Special polling stations were opened for South Ossetian citizens living in North Ossetia-Alania
North Ossetia-Alania
The Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is a federal subject of Russia . Its population according to the 2010 Census was 712,877.-Name:...
.
In South Ossetia, a turnout of 50% + 1 vote is required for any election to be valid. This threshold was reached around 16:00. Provisional results are expected around 23:00.
First round
No candidate reached a majority of votes in the first round, which led to a runoff on 27 November. The participants were Bibilov and Dzhioyeva, who got about the same amount of votes.Second round
Preliminary results released on 27 November show Dzhioyeva in the lead, with 8955 votes to Bibilov's 6205. The final results confirmed this. However, the Unity PartyUnity Party (South Ossetia)
The Unity Party is a major political party in South Ossetia, a partially recognized Caucasian republic, considered by most countries to be a part of Georgia. The Unity Party, founded in 2003, supports President Eduard Kokoity, and is currently the largest political party in South Ossetia. As of...
filed a complaint at the Supreme Court of South Ossetia, alledging Dzhioyeva's campaign used illegal ways to secure the victory. The Supreme Court subsequently declared the elections invalid, and new elections were called for 25 March 2012.