The first round of the presidential election was held on 10 April. The incumbent President Anatoly Bibilov received 34.95% of the vote, ceding to the leader of the opposition party Nykhas, Alan Gagloyev, who gained 38.55%. The turnout amounted to 73.97%, with a total of 29,057 citizens casting their ballots. Now the two are facing off in the second round.
Polling places have been opened in Tskhinval and in all the districts of South Ossetia, with two polling places operating in North Ossetia, one in Moscow and one in Abkhazia’s Sukhum. The South Ossetia Central Election Commission (CEC) issued 40,000 ballots, with overall number of registered voters exceeding 32,000.
The CEC accredited more than 25 international observers from Russia, Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics and Abkhazia.
Under the election law, voting in South Ossetia is considered valid if turnout exceeds 30%. Since none of the candidates secured an absolute majority in the first round, the runoff must be held, with the winner determined by a simple majority of votes.