Taklama

Analysis, book reviews and photography from Abkhazia and the wider Caucasus --- updates when time permits

South Ossetia's post-election struggle refocuses on March rerun

The post-election stand-off in South Ossetia between rightful winner Alla Dzhioyeva and the authorities seemed to come to an end with the agreement reached on Friday 9 December. However, while most of the agreement's letter was adhered to, its spirit was violated.

As provisioned, Alla Dzhioyeva called on her supporters …

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Snow Revolution or South Ossetian Winter?

So it has come to this. For a short while, South Ossetia's Presidential election looked like a total win. The polling wasn't merely quite free and fair, South Ossetia's electorate actually handed a preliminary 56.74% second round majority to Alla Dzhioyeva, the opposition candidate, against Anatoly Bibilov, the candidate …

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South Ossetia's presidential election suprisingly competitive

On 13 November, South Ossetia held its fourth Presidential election since independence, and expectations were low, given the authoritarian tendencies of President Kokoity and the fact that many opposition candidates had been excluded unfairly or because they didn't satisfy the harsh 10-year residency requirement. It was predicted by some that …

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