Disputed South Ossetia holds poll
May 31, 2009
Some say the poll is an opportunity for Kokoity to tighten his grip on power
Elections are taking place in South Ossetia, the disputed breakaway region of Georgia.
The polls are the first held since the territory declared independence from Georgia last August with Russian help.
Georgia regards the elections as illegal; it sees the territory as still part of Georgian sovereign territory.
Some observers say the poll is an opportunity for the South Ossetian leader, Eduard Kokoity, to tighten his grip on power.
Only a few hundred ethnic Georgians remain in South Ossetia - a mountainous region of 70,000 people north of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi - and there is only one Georgian on the list of parliamentary candidates
Exaggerated figures?
With just 34 seats at stake, Sunday’s elections, though small, are important for the self-proclaimed republic, says the BBC’s Tom Esslemont in Tbilisi.
They are also a test of democracy in a region financially dependent on Russia, our correspondent adds.
South Ossetia declared independence after a five-day war between Russia and Georgia last August, but only Russia and Nicaragua have recognized its declaration.
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The central election commission says 45,000 people are registered to vote in Sunday’s polls, though some analysts say this is a vast exaggeration.
One Russian newspaper, Vremya Novostey, suggested the discrepancy would provide an opportunity for Eduard Kokoity’s Unity party to rig the vote, which officials have denied.
Much of South Ossetia remains battle-scarred after last summer’s conflict and some residents say the pace of rebuilding has been slow, our correspondent says.
A coalition of opposition parties has accused Mr Kokoity of embezzling Russian aid money - a claim he denies.
Meanwhile, a month of controversial Nato military exercises are drawing to an end in Georgia.
Russia has condemned the exercises as “provocative”.
The drills have been taking place close to South Ossetia where Russian troops remain based following the war.
Relations between Russia and Georgia have remained at a low ebb in the wake of the conflict.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
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