South Ossetia goes to polls to elect new parliament

South Ossetia goes to polls to elect new parliament

TSKHINVAL, May 31 - South Ossetia is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday, with four parties competing for seats in the republic's legislature. The elections are the first in the former Georgian republic since Russia recognized its independence, following a five-day war with Georgia who launched an attack to try and regain control over the region in August. Four parties are taking part in the elections for the 34-seat parliament: the ruling Unity party, the Communist Party, the People's Party and the opposition Fatherland Party. More than 70 observers from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Abkhazia, Nagorny-Karabakh and Russia are monitoring Sunday's poll.

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WASHINGTON, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Washington said it would not recognize last weekend's parliamentary polls in the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. South Ossetia held on Sunday its first parliamentary elections since Russia recognized it as independent last August following a war with Georgia. The ruling Unity party garnered 46.38% of the vote, local election authorities said citing preliminary results after all the ballots had been counted. "The United States regrets the decision to hold so-called 'elections' in the South Ossetia region of Georgia on May 31, 2009, and recognizes neither the legality nor the results," the State Department said on Monday. Washington described the elections as "a step away from a peaceful and negotiated solution to the conflict," and reiterated its support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity said in an address to the nation on Monday that the elections were a test of the state's independence. "And we have proved it. We deserve to live in an independent state," he said. The European Union also signaled on Monday it would not accept the results of South Ossetia's "illegitimate" polls.