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Tskhinvali central square to be deserted at night for first time since Nov 30

This is the first night the square will be deserted since November 30. The city is peaceful, and New Year decorations are being installed
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

TSKHINVALI, December 11 (Itar-Tass) —— The opposition is leaving the Tskhinvali central square. Tents are being folded, and benches and barrels in which bonfires were built every previous night are being removed.

This is the first night the square will be deserted since November 30. The city is peaceful, and New Year decorations are being installed. The main Christmas tree will be decorated there by tradition.

Protest rallies in South Ossetia started after the Supreme Court called invalid the presidential election of November 27, which was won by Alla Dzhioyeva. The Supreme Court explained its decision with numerous violations.

The political crisis was resolved with many days of negotiations between the opposition and the authorities mediated by head of the Russian presidential administration’s department for inter-regional and cultural relations with foreign states Sergei Vinokurov.

The negotiations resulted in a compromise accord signed by South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity and former presidential candidate Alla Dzhioyeva.

The main items of the accord were the resignation of Kokoity, the end of the protests and the new presidential election to be held in March 2012.

South Ossetian opposition leader Alla Dzhioyeva announced on Sunday afternoon she had decided to stop the protests.

She addressed the protesters on the Tskhinvali central square to say that her supporters and she “had discussed the fulfillment of the compromise accord and concluded that the accord was being honored.”

The only condition mandatory for the accord’s recognition as fulfilled is the dismissals of the prosecutor general and the Supreme Court chairman subject to the approval by the republican parliament, Dzhioyeva said.

She called on the protesters to go home.

Alan Pliyev, a supporter of Dzhioyeva, told Itar-Tass they would hold a meeting with Acting South Ossetian President Vadim Brovtsev on Monday to discuss cooperation. “One of the questions to be raised at the meeting with Brovtsev will be the appointment of Anatoly Barankevich as a vice-premier,” Pliyev said.

The press service of the South Ossetian president and government said earlier that the opposition did not fulfill the compromise accord on joint efforts in the settlement of the political crisis in the republic because the unauthorized street actions continued on the central square of Tskhinvali.