South Ossetian authorities decided to close the border with Georgia for a day on April 8 to ensure that the second round of presidential election conducted properly, Alexander Smirnov, a spokesperson of State Defense Committee said on Saturday.
South Ossetian presidential elections were held in November, 2011, which saw opposition leader Alla Dzhioyeva beat Kremlin-backed Anatoly Bibilov. However, the results of that poll were anulled.
The second elections were held on March 25. None of the presidential candidates won in the first round. Ex-chair of State Defense Committee of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov with 42.48 percent of the vote and human rights ombudsmen David Sanakoyev with 24.58 percent will participate in the second round of the presidential election scheduled for April 8.
“The border will be closed for the day. Starting the evening of April 7 the citizens will not be able to pass through simplified checkpoints on the border with Georgia in the villages of Mosabrun, Artsev, Sinagur and Karzman. The border will be open only after the polls are closed at 8 pm Moscow time [17:00 GMT] on April 8,” Alexander Smirnov said.
The second round is recognized valid if turnout reaches more than 30 percent. The winner is determined by a simple majority.
Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008, following a five-day war with Georgia. The war began when Georgia attacked South Ossetia, where most residents are Russian passport holders. Russia's decision has been condemned by many nations. Georgia considers the two regions part of its sovereign territory and considers presidential election in South Ossetia illegitimate.
