concorrem 4 partidos, o Partido da Unidade, do atual presidente, Kokoity, o Partido Comunista, o Partido Popular e o oposicionista Partido da Pátria.
Via RIA Novosti:
"TSKHINVAL, May 31 (RIA Novosti) - South Ossetia is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday, with four parties competing for seats in the republic's legislature.Via RIA Novosti:
The elections are the first in the former Georgian republic since Russia recognized its independence, following a five-day war with Georgia who launched an attack to try and regain control over the region in August.
Four parties are taking part in the elections for the 34-seat parliament: the ruling Unity party, the Communist Party, the People's Party and the opposition Fatherland Party.
More than 70 observers from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Abkhazia, Nagorny-Karabakh and Russia are monitoring Sunday's poll."
"TSKHINVAL, May 31 (RIA Novosti) - The South Ossetian top election body declared Sunday's parliamentary elections in the former Georgian republic valid, with more than 50% of registered voters casting their ballots.Via Reuters:
As of 2:00 p.m. Moscow time (10:00 a.m. GMT), 59.88% of registered voters had come to the polls, crossing the electoral threshold of 50% plus one vote, said Bella Pliyeva, chairwoman of the central election commission.
The elections are the first in South Ossetia since Russia recognized its independence, following a five-day war with Georgia who launched an attack to try and regain control over the region in August.
Four parties are taking part in the elections for the 34-seat parliament: the ruling Unity party, the Communist Party, the People's Party and the opposition Fatherland Party.
More than 70 observers from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Abkhazia, Nagorny-Karabakh and Russia are monitoring Sunday's poll."
"TSKHINVALI, Georgia (Reuters) - Georgia's rebel region of South Ossetia voted on Sunday in its first election since Russian forces saved it from being retaken by Georgian troops, but internal tensions grew over its leader's policies.--------------------------------------
Georgia denounced the poll as illegal.
A sliver of land with an official population of 70,000, South Ossetia broke from central Georgian rule in a war in the early 1990s as the Soviet Union crumbled.
When Georgian forces launched an attack last August to retake it, Russian forces beat them back and Moscow has since recognized the territory as an independent state.
In the run-up to the election for a 34-seat parliament, the region's opposition, while still supporting secession from Georgia, criticized separatist leader Eduard Kokoity for squandering money pumped into the shattered region by Moscow for post-war regeneration.
"I want these elections to make life better, I want the city to finally start to be rebuilt," said Atsamas Kokoyev, a resident of the main city Tskhinvali, after voting. "I want no more war. I want life to return to normal."
Apart from Russia, only Nicaragua has recognized the region's independence.
Georgia, whose sovereignty over South Ossetia is recognised by the rest of the world, denounced the poll as illegitimate.
"What they in South Ossetia call elections are very far from real elections," Georgia's minister for reintegration, Temur Iakobashvili, told reporters in Tbilisi.
ELECTION TEST
The opposition says Kokoity, a 44-year-old former wrestler, wants to change the constitution so he can run for a third term in 2011 and that an overwhelming success in the election for a parliament would help him do this.
"He needs a submissive, dull parliament so that he can change the law and stay in power," Albert Jussoyev, the leader of the opposition, told Reuters in an interview last week.
Kokoity, who has been in power since 2001, says he does not want to stay in power. Supporters hail him for leading South Ossetia to independence after what they say were centuries of outside dominance.
"Today's election is a test of our people's maturity, a test of the stability of our democracy," Kokoity told reporters after voting. "We are voting today for an independent South Ossetia though we have close relations with Russia and will continue to strengthen those relations."
Russia has poured in money and says it will open a military base there. But thousands are still homeless after the war and thousands more unemployed.
The opposition says the population, which they estimate at less than half of the officially registered 70,000, are losing patience with Kokoity, and have called on Russia to intervene.
Update, via RIA Novosti:
TSKHINVAL, June 1, (RIA Novosti) - South Ossetia's ruling Unity Party has garnered 44.58% of the vote in parliamentary elections according to initial figures, the former Georgian republic's top election body said on Monday.--------------------------------------
The figures were released after 88.42% of ballots had been counted.
The Central Election Committee said the Communist Party had garnered 23.64% of votes, the People's Party 22.47% and the opposition Fatherland 6.67%.
South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity said in an address to the nation that the elections were a test of the state's independence. "And we have proved it. We deserve to live in an independent state," he said.
The elections are the first in South Ossetia since Russia recognized its independence, following a five-day war with Georgia who launched an attack to try and regain control over the region in August.
Russia's independent Ekho Moskvy radio said citing a South Ossetian opposition leader, Albert Dzhusoyev, that the authorities had forced people to vote.
Opponents of the current president earlier said they would boycott the elections of the 34-seat assembly and seek early presidential elections.
More than 70 observers from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Abkhazia, Nagorny-Karabakh and Russia were involved in monitoring Sunday's poll. Russian monitors reported minor violations.
Update 2: Via RIA Novosti:
TSKHINVAL, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - South Ossetia's ruling Unity party has won parliamentary elections, garnering 46.38% of the vote, local election authorities said on Monday citing preliminary results after 100% of ballots had been counted.
Sunday's vote was the first since Russia recognized South Ossetia as an independent state following a brief war with Georgia, which attacked the region last August.
"The Central Election Commission has received the results of voting from all the 95 polling stations," commission chief Bella Pliyeva told a news conference.
She said citing preliminary data that turnout was high at 81.93%.
South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity said in an address to the nation that the elections were a test of the state's independence. "And we have proved it. We deserve to live in an independent state," he said.
Russia's independent Ekho Moskvy radio said citing a South Ossetian opposition leader, Albert Dzhusoyev, that the authorities had forced people to vote.
Opponents of the current president earlier said they would boycott the elections of the 34-seat assembly and seek early presidential elections.
Observers said no major violations were reported during the vote. The 11-member mission involved monitors from ex-Soviet republics, Germany, Italy and Poland.
The poll took place amid heavy police and troop presence in the republic.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Kokoity claimed two terrorist acts, including an explosion in a residential building, had been prevented in the past two days. He said the acts were designed to prevent the elections going ahead.
