TSKHINVAL, August 29. /TASS/. President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov relieved from office Prime Minister Erik Pukhaev and dismissed the government of the republic. Deputy Prime Minister Gennady Bekoev is designated as acting Prime Minister, according to the decree published on the presidential website.
"I hereby decree to release Pukhaev Erik Georgievich from the position of the chairman of the government of the Republic of South Ossetia according to his notice. To announce the resignation of the government of the Republic of South Ossetia. To assign temporary performance of obligations of the chairman of the government of the Republic of South Ossetia to Bekoev Gennady Borisovich," the document said.
The president also tasked the government to fulfill its duties until the new cabinet of ministers is formed.
Since 2014, Pukhaev had been deputy chairman of the government. In May 2017, he headed the government after the election of Bibilov.
Bekoev is 39 years old. He started career in public administration in 2004 working at the republic's defense ministry. In 2017-2018, he headed the republic’s committee of industry; in November 2018, he was appointed deputy prime minister - minister of economic development of the republic.
He underwent professional retraining under the program State and Municipal Management and studied at Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) majoring in system of state and municipal service.
Several hundred people gathered in central Tskhinval on Friday following reports of a death of a local resident who had been detained on the previous day on suspicion of assassination attempt on Interior Minister Igor Naniev. People demanded resignation of the government. On Friday evening, South Ossetian Prime Minister Erik Pukhayev said he was stepping down due to the demands of the rally participants.
Also, earlier the president suspended the Interior Minister for the duration of the investigation. He also took under control the investigation of both the assassination attempt and the excess of power, which may have led to the death of a detainee.
The parliament of South Ossetia during the emergency session on Saturday approved an appeal to the president on the resignation of the Prosecutor General Uruzmag Dzhagaev.