The authorities of South Ossetia announced the date of the presidential elections.
Early presidential elections in South Ossetia are scheduled for September 18.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", after a meeting with Vladimir Putin on June 22, Alan Gagloev was appointed his advisor and announced his resignation as president of South Ossetia. The head of the republic's government, Marat Kambolov, was appointed as the acting president of South Ossetia. During Gagloev's presidency, the degradation of political and social institutions continued in South Ossetia, and the outflow of the population from the republic reached such proportions that a new presidential candidate was sent from outside, analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" stated.
According to the Constitution of South Ossetia, after the official departure of the current president, the regular elections for the leader of the republic must take place within three months – no later than September 21, 2026. "The presidential elections of the Republic of South Ossetia must be held no later than 90 days from the date of the early termination of the powers of the former head of state," the text of the Constitution of South Ossetia*, posted on the website of the republican parliament, states.
Today, the deputies of the parliament of South Ossetia unanimously determined the date of the early presidential elections, as reported on the parliament's website.
"In accordance with paragraph 10 of Article 61 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia and part 4 of Article 3 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia 'On the Elections of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia', the parliament of the RSO decided to schedule the elections for September 18, 2026," the message states.
It should be noted that earlier analysts pointed out that Marat Kambolov, appointed as acting president, is an outsider for the republic, as he was sent to South Ossetia to take the position of head of government. Now, Kambolov is expected to participate in the presidential race as Moscow's favorite.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that Alan Gagloev became the president of South Ossetia in May 2022. His predecessor Anatoly Bibilov lost the elections, which were held in two rounds. Shortly before his departure, on May 13, 2022, he signed a decree to hold a referendum on the issue of joining South Ossetia to Russia.
Later, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that this idea "requires further legal refinement," and Gagloev, upon becoming president, suspended the implementation of Bibilov's decree until consultations with the Russian side were completed. The Russian authorities approved this decision, indicating that Bibilov's initiative had not been coordinated with the Kremlin.
Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be territories occupied by Russia after Russia intervened in the armed conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia on August 8, 2008, and then recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Parliament of Georgia voted to sever diplomatic relations with Russia, as stated in the "Caucasian Knot" reference on the "Five-Day War" of 2008, which also contains details of this armed conflict.