Kambolov promised to create conditions for a decent life in South Ossetia.
Creating conditions for a decent life, work, raising children, and self-realization in South Ossetia without the need to leave the republic is the main goal of the acting president Marat Kambolov's election program. He has no real opponents in the elections, and Zurab Kokoev, Murat Valiev, and Kazbek Kodoev are considered technical candidates, analysts previously noted.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 14, it became known that for citizens of South Ossetia located in Russia, five polling stations have been prepared for the presidential elections – four in North Ossetia and one in Moscow.
On June 23, Alan Gagloev resigned as president of South Ossetia after being appointed an advisor to Vladimir Putin, and the temporary execution of the duties of the head of the republic passed to the Prime Minister Marat Kambolov. The Parliament of South Ossetia appointed voting on September 18 on July 1. In July, Vladimir Putin publicly expressed support for Kambolov in the upcoming elections. Four candidates for the presidency of South Ossetia have been registered – Marat Kambolov, Zurab Kokoev, Murat Valiev, and Kazbek Kodoev. The materials on the election campaign have been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Kambolov's Elections in South Ossetia".
The acting president of South Ossetia Marat Kambolov presented his election program and defined its main goal as creating conditions under which residents can build their lives in the republic.
The main provisions of Kambolov's program were published on his Telegram channel on September 15. "The main goal is to create conditions in South Ossetia so that a person can live decently, work, raise children, and realize themselves without leaving the republic," he wrote.
Among other areas, Kambolov mentioned social support, accessible healthcare, quality education, and job creation. He linked economic development with support for new industries, small and medium-sized businesses, and investment projects that should provide employment and income growth. Kambolov classified agriculture as an area capable of creating jobs in the regions, while tourism is seen as a growth reserve that requires the development of hotel and related infrastructure.
In the field of education, Kambolov emphasized the training of in-demand specialists and opportunities for youth to realize themselves in the republic, while in healthcare, he focused on the accessibility of assistance and updating the material base. In the infrastructure block, he outlined issues of water, gas, roads, transport, and energy. Kambolov also advocated for the development of a personnel reserve and increasing the efficiency of public administration.
Residents of South Ossetia named the main problems of the republic
On August 24, residents of South Ossetia surveyed by "Caucasian Knot" named the main problems of the republic as population outflow, low salaries, lack of jobs, public transport issues, queues at the border, and difficulties in obtaining loans. One resident of Tskhinval linked the outflow of youth to the lack of jobs and noted that graduates of Russian universities often return to the republic but cannot find employment. A resident of Dzau also pointed to low salaries, unemployment, transport problems, and the inaccessibility of loans and mortgages.
On September 5, residents of the villages of Orchosan and Tsinaqar voiced their problems with gas supply and water quality, lack of roads and agricultural machinery, wage arrears, and transport communication.
Political scientists surveyed by "Caucasian Knot" on August 25 indicated that Kambolov has no real opponents, and the election campaign cannot be considered competitive. Thus, political scientist Alla Dzhioeva called the other registered candidates technical. "Besides Kambolov, all candidates are technical," she told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
Ruslan Totrov also noted that there are no serious candidates capable of entering into competitive struggle with Kambolov in the elections. "Marat Kambolov is simply declared to win," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
On August 31, activists and bloggers surveyed by "Caucasian Knot" also noted that only Kambolov is actually showing pre-election activity, while his opponents are hardly noticeable. Blogger Alek Pukhati reminded that Alan Gagloev was also considered a technical candidate before the 2022 elections, but he defeated Anatoly Bibilov. At the same time, Pukhati also considered the outcome of the current elections predetermined due to the inequality of resources between Kambolov and his opponents.