TSKHINVAL, December 5 (Itar-Tass) — South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity described the events in the republic as one of the forms of “the Orange Revolution”.
At the same time, Kokoity said such scenario “will not work in my country”. “All will be within the framework of law. We will not agree on any ultimatums,” the South Ossetian president said on Monday.
He noted that South Ossetia’s future “is at stake. Relations with the Russian Federation, our strategic partner, should be also tested”. “I want to state that I will stop any attacks on Russia. We are now holding non-easy talks. The main thing is that the parties agreed with the results of these talks,” Kokoity stressed.
The consultations between the supporters of former South Ossetian presidential candidate Alla Dzhioyeva and chief of the Russian presidential department for interregional and cultural ties with foreign countries Sergei Vinokurov were futile. After the talks Dzhioyeva’s supporters told journalists that no decision was taken. “Absolutely nothing, no decision was made. On Monday, the consultations will hardly continue and will hardly take place at all before the court verdict,” former presidential candidate Alan Pliyev said.
Meanwhile, the oppositionists noted that participants in the protest action will not leave the square. Vinokurov noted that he “performs only a mediating role” in the negotiations. He pointed to the fact that “the constructive dialogue” continues between the parties to the conflict and assessed the results of the negotiations as positive.
Dzhioyeva did not participate in the consultations on Sunday. Seven Dzhioyeva’s supporters represented her at the talks with the demands to found the election results valid, dismiss the president, the general prosecutor and the chief justice and to set the date of presidential inauguration.
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.