TSKHINVAL, June 09. /ITAR-TASS/. Parliamentary elections that took place in South Ossetia last Sunday met all international election standards, Vasily Volkov, a representative of a mission of international observers sent by non-governmental organizations of Russia and foreign countries, told journalists on Monday.

“The mission recognizes the past elections to be free and open and says that the election campaign was a vital factor of stable development and further democratization of public life in South Ossetia,” Volkov went on to say.

The international monitors checked the work of 53 polling stations and two territorial electoral commissions in the Tskhinval, Dzausky and Znaursky districts of South Ossetia as well as in the capital Tskhinval.

“At all polling stations, the observers received the necessary information, had a chance to see registers of voters and other documents of district electoral commissions. They also got exhaustive answers during the vote from members of electoral commissions and political party representatives,” Volkov explained.

He noted that insignificant shortcomings that took place during the vote could not affect the general process of free will expression.

According to Volkov, the elections in South Ossetia passed in full compliance with the republic’s law on elections, the atmosphere of political pluralism and free expression of opinions.

The observer mission included monitors from non-governmental organizations of Russia, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Lithuania, the United States, France, South Africa as well as a public consultative council set up under the Russian Central Electoral Commission.