A spontaneous 1,000-people strong rally is continuing in front of the Central Electoral Committee’s building in Tskhinvali.
Emotions are running high in South Ossetia after the former Georgian republic's Supreme Court on Tuesday annulled the presidential election runoff. After supporters of the opposition candidate, Alla Dzhioyeva, who according to preliminary information won the polls, tried to storm the building of the Central Electoral Committee and security had to open fire.
A spontaneous 1,000-people strong rally is continuing in front of the Central Electoral Committee’s building in Tskhinvali. South Ossetia's incumbent President Eduard Kokoity called Dzhioyeva’s actions “illegeal” and said that Tskhinvali protests may have been orchestrated from abroad.
Dzhioyeva supporters demand that the Central Electoral Committee publish the official outcome of the runoff of the presidential elections.
"The republic's leadership will make no concessions and will not yield to pressure," Eduard Kokoity said. "I call on everyone to come to their senses and make serious conclusions."
Russia has recognized the annulment of South Ossetian presidential elections, calling on all South Ossetian political powers to respect the Supreme Court’s decision, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website on Wednesday.
After supporters of Dzhioyeva tried to storm the building of the Central Electoral Committee, security had to open fire.
No one was injured.
Dzhioyeva’s backers picketing the Central Electoral Committee’s building.
South Ossetia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday declared null and void the outcome of the November 27 runoff presidential elections because of violations. However South Ossetia’s former education minister, Alla Dzhioyeva, who had won the runoff, declared herself president of the breakaway republic in defiance of a court ruling.
New elections have been slated for March 25, 2012. Dzhioyeva was barred from running in it.
