24 May 2004, 11:31
Parliamentary elections held in South Osetia
Parliamentary elections were held in the republic of South Osetia on May 23. Chairperson of the South Osetian Central Election Commission Bella Pliyeva announced that "according to preliminary data, the Unity party will have two thirds of the seats." 20 out of 30 deputies in the new parliament will represent the Unity party, which is a party of South Osetian President Eduard Kokoity in fact. The Communist Party, led by Parliament Speaker Stanislav Kochiyev, takes the second place, the People's Party takes the third one.
The polling in the breakaway republic went on in quiet conditions and without incidents. Over 52% of the voters had come to the polling stations by 1 p.m. on election day, which is enough to declare the elections valid under local laws. There were 75 polling stations, and representatives from Moscow, Abkhazia, and Pridnestroviye observed the voting procedure.
15 deputies of the South Osetian parliament are elected by party lists. Another 4 seats are marked out for that part of South Osetia where Georgians live compactly. However the Georgian population refused to take part in the elections.
Source: RosBusinessConsulting News Agency
