AFP/Tskhinvali
Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia yesterday held a run-off vote to elect a leader after months of political turmoil, in elections that has been branded as a sham by Tbilisi. The former local head of the KGB security service, Leonid Tibilov, is facing human rights commissioner David Sanakoyev after falling short of the 50% required to win in the first round, with 42.5% of votes last month. Yesterday’s vote marked the third attempt since November to elect a leader amid political turmoil in the region, which Russia recognised as an independent state after driving out Georgian forces during a brief war in 2008. “We hope that today our long path to electing a president will be over,” said Yana Dzhioyeva, a 37-year-old resident of Tskhinvali - South Ossetia’s main town. “Hopefully, the person who wins will give us a brighter future.”A court had annulled the results of a November 27 ballot in which opposition candidate Alla Dzhioyeva beat the expected winner who had open backing from Moscow and the outgoing strongman Eduard Kokoity. Dzhioyeva then led 10 days of street rallies that ended when Kokoity resigned before his term was due to end. She was hospitalised in February after being interrogated and allegedly beaten by police amid allegations she was planning to seize power by unilaterally inaugurating herself as “president”, and did not register for yesterday’s vote. Many people who cast ballots yesterday expressed regret that the November court decision did not permit them to elect a leader that they truly wanted. Both presidential candidates have denied that they are tied to Kokoity. Meanwhile, Georgia has called the leadership elections a sham. “It’s a continuation of farce and an imitation of elections in the Russian-occupied ethnically-cleansed region,” said Eka Tkeshelashvili, a minister in charge of reintegration with breakaway regions. About 35,000 people are registered voters at the 84 polling stations in the impoverished region whose economy relies on financial aid from Russia. Tskhinvali’s streets, which saw much destruction during the 2008 conflict, have remained mostly in disrepair with some construction beginning only this year. The population of South Ossetia is also the subject of dispute, with the separatist authorities claiming 70,000, but Tbilisi saying the real figure is closer to 15,000 due to migration and what it describes as wartime “ethnic cleansing.” Most South Ossetian residents hold Russian passports and some 15,000 also voted in Russia’s presidential polls last month. Official reports said 92.7% of them voted for president-elect Vladimir Putin. Russia has recognised the independence of South Ossetia and another Georgian breakaway region Abkhazia, but other world powers have insisted that both territories remain an integral part of Georgia.