2006 South Ossetian presidential election

Presidential elections were held in South Ossetia on 12 November 2006, coinciding with the South Ossetian independence referendum. Incumbent Eduard Kokoity was seeking a second full five-year term. He was re-elected with more than 98% of the vote. According to the de facto authorities, the election was monitored by a team of 34 international observers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden and other countries at 78 polling stations.[1] The election process was criticised by local civic society and the results were deemed likely to be inflated.[2]

2006 South Ossetian presidential election

← 2001 12 November 2006 2011 →
 
Nominee Eduard Kokoity Leonid Tibilov
Party Unity Party Independent
Popular vote 51,150 476
Percentage 98.06% 0.91%

President before election

Eduard Kokoity
Unity Party

Elected President

Eduard Kokoity
Unity Party

Results

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CandidateVotes%
Eduard Kokoity51,15098.06
Leonid Tibilov4760.91
Inal Pukhayev1940.37
Oleg Gabodze1750.34
Against all1680.32
Total52,163100.00
Valid votes52,16399.47
Invalid/blank votes2800.53
Total votes52,443100.00
Registered voters/turnout55,16395.07
Source: Cominf

Alternative elections and referendum

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South Ossetian opposition politicians, some of whom had left Tskhinvali due to a conflict with the de facto president Eduard Kokoity, set up an alternative Central Election Commission and nominated their candidates for presidency: Gogi Chigoyev, Teimuraz Djeragoyev, Tamar Charayeva, and Dmitry Sanakoyev, who served as defense minister and then as prime minister for several months in 2001 under Kokoity's predecessor, Ludwig Chibirov. Voters were also to answer a question: "do you agree with the renewal of talks with Georgia on a federal union." The alternative elections and referendum were held in the villages with mixed Georgian-Ossetian population not controlled by the secessionist government. The Salvation Union of South Ossetia which organised the election turned down a request from a Georgian NGO, “Multinational Georgia”, to monitor it and the released results were also very likely to be inflated.[2]

References

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