Analysts considered the speeches of the presidential candidates in South Ossetia during the debates to be populism.
The pre-election rhetoric during the presidential candidates' debates in South Ossetia did not demonstrate a real focus on solving social problems, and their proposals, from fighting corruption to increasing control over security forces, are quite a safe form of demagoguery. Marat Kambolov, who is supported by Moscow, failed to stand out among the other candidates. The outcome of the elections is practically predetermined, which also affects the course of the debates, analysts noted.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", Murat Valiev called for the development of South Ossetia's economy and attracting investments during the debates, Marat Kambolov boasted about agreements made with Russian agencies and regions in the field of social policy, while Kazbek Kodoev emphasized the importance of strengthening the control functions of government structures and overcoming the demographic crisis, noting that up to 500 young people leave South Ossetia every year. At the same time, all presidential candidates in South Ossetia stressed the need to fight corruption.
On August 23, the Central Election Commission of South Ossetia registered four candidates: Marat Kambolov, Zurab Kokoey, Murat Valiev, and Kazbek Kodoev. The presidential candidates in South Ossetia were supposed to discuss social policy during the debates on August 28, but the quality of the broadcast was such that voters could not understand what was being discussed.
Political scientist Ruslan Totrov stated that all the proposals made by the candidates—from fighting corruption to increasing control over security forces—are quite a safe form of demagoguery.
"Because if you follow the debates in all presidential elections over the last 20 years, they talk about practically the same things, and this is quite fertile ground in terms of topics. It is completely permissible to promise anything. And since these are quite populist themes, it is clear that they will find a wonderful response in the minds and hearts of the population," he told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot."
According to the political scientist, the demographic crisis is a real and serious problem.
"Even five hundred mostly young people leaving South Ossetia is a significant percentage. Let's not forget that the population of South Ossetia is possibly between 35,000 and 50,000 people. Therefore, 500 people leaving annually is indeed a lot, and of course, it is noticeable," Totrov noted.
According to him, it is impossible to say that the debates showed real competition.
"Kambolov's opponents are technical. But the other thing is that even against the backdrop of these technical opponents, the presidential candidate Kambolov, as a participant in the debates, did not shine, and it cannot be said that he seriously surpassed, if he surpassed at all, the inconspicuous opponents. The candidates completely lack the skill of public discussion and oratory. Sometimes someone rides on natural charisma, but Kambolov does not have that either, so both he and the technical candidates were, of course, unremarkable," Totrov said.
In addition to the debates, the candidates' meetings with people, trips around the districts, cities, and villages are also manifestations of the election campaign, he pointed out.
"Don't forget that South Ossetia is tiny, so, in general, if you try a little, you can quickly travel around it with pre-election meetings," Totrov explained.
Blogger Zaura Farniyev believes that there is no special demographic problem in South Ossetia.
"It cannot be said that young people are directly leaving the country. They simply circulate between North and South Ossetia. They can leave for several months and return. Their homes remain, as do their relatives and close ones," he said.
Farniyev believes that it cannot be said that the presidential candidates, except for Kambolov, are "technical," but he himself could not recall the names of alternative candidates.
"As for corruption, I don't know what can be stolen in South Ossetia. Although where there is government money, there will definitely be corruption," Farniyev noted.
The chairwoman of the ecological public movement "Green Alania" Zalina Gabayeva does not see any intrigue in the current presidential elections in South Ossetia and in the pre-election debates.
"Everyone is sure that Kambolov will win. The election campaign is uninteresting. Some believe that everything will radically change for the better, while others say that everything will remain the same and only darkness lies ahead," she told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot."
According to the activist, there is indeed a lot of migration from South Ossetia.
"I can't say in numbers, but over the last three to four years, the city has really emptied. And I think the first thing a person coming to power should do is to bring order to the law enforcement sphere. There has never been such shameless lawlessness as now," Gabayeva pointed out.
According to her, the situation in the environmental protection sphere is also terrible.
"Officials cover each other's crimes. The previous president supported poachers, the prosecutor's office ignored complaints, and the committee was silent about violations. I really hope that invited specialists will come to this sphere; there is no one here who can cope in this area. Everyone is corrupt, and no one is a professional," Gabayeva believes.
She also noted several other problems of the republic.
"In education, everything is bad. Graduates of universities cannot always read their job responsibilities, let alone comply with them. The education sector needs to be taken very seriously. Perhaps this is even the most important task. Farmers need to be supported with equipment. Some kind of incubator for entrepreneurs should be created to shift the economy," Gabayeva explained.