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Opposition member urges protesters not to take provocative actions

The opposition demands the November 27 presidential elections be recognised valid

TSKHINVAL, December 3 (Itar-Tass) — Famous opposition member, General Anatoly Barankevich has urged participants in the rally in downtown Tskhinval not to take any provocative actions towards law enforcers.

“Behave decently. There will be no provocations from our party,” said Barankevich, supporter of former presidential candidate Alla Dzhioyeva.

Addressing law enforcers, who guarded the government buildings near the rally’s site, he said, “We are all brothers and sisters. I ask you not to carry out orders, which run counter laws.”

According to earlier reports, Dzhioyeva’s representatives are expected to confer with head of the Russian president’s department for inter-regional and cultural relations with foreign countries, Sergei Vinokurov, to discuss the situation in South Ossetia.

General Barankevich will take part in the meeting instead of Dzhioyeva due to the fact that the former presidential candidate was ill. “If I am not allowed to take part in the meeting, none will replace me,” the general said.

The opposition demands the November 27 presidential elections be recognised valid. The South Ossetian Supreme Court declared them invalid.

The Supreme Court of South Ossetia said it would consider opposition presidential candidate Alla Dzhioyea’s complaint in the morning of December 1.

Supreme Court Chairman Atsamaz Bichenov met with Dzhioyeva to inform her that he would not change his decision on the invalidity of the presidential elections. Bichenov suggested that Dzhioyeva go to court and file a complaint.

Dzhioyeva’s lawyer delivered a cassation complaint to him on Wednesday, November 30.

“We can say that the court has accepted the complaint,” Bichenov said. “Since the working day is over, the complaint will be registered in the morning of December 1 and scheduled for consideration within the period of time prescribed by the existing procedural rules,” he said.

Dzhioyeva appeared to be dissatisfied by the decision and insisted that the complaint be considered immediately. The complaint was prompted by “85 percent of protocols from polling stations certified, among others, by [presidential candidate] Anatoly Bibilov’s representatives, and by conclusions made by international observers about the absence of irregularities during voting that could have affected the outcome of the elections, and the Central Election Commission chairman’s announcement that the elections were valid”, Dzhioyeva said.

Meanwhile, South Ossets, who came to the central square in front of the government headquarters in Tskhinval since morning, said they would not leave until the Supreme Court cancels its decision proclaiming the results of the November 27 presidential election invalid.

The ranks of Dzhioyeva’s supporters dwindle from time to time, but her HQ said people simply go to the nearby buildings to keep themselves warm.

Dzhioyeva earlier asked her supporters to go home, but people refused to leave. A rumour is circulated among the protesters that incumbent South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity has ordered a revision of the court ruling.

South Ossetian and North Ossetian bloggers are running online reports from snow-swept Tskhinval on Twitter and Facebook and have already dubbed the situation in South Ossetia “snow revolution”.

Kokoity has been meeting Dzhioyeva’s supporters and other former presidential candidates during the day. “A constructive dialogue is underway. We asked for time to consult them and to ease tension. We take into account the opinion of all candidates. And our main goal is to avoid armed confrontation. As commander-in-chief, I ordered that weapons be not used expected for firing warning shots in the air if the protesters try to storm the government building,” the president said.