A woman with a child at the election of the head of the Republic of South Ossetia at polling station No. 23 in TskhinvaliTSKHINVAL, 10 Apr.< /strong> Polling stations closed in South Ossetia, where presidential elections were held on Sunday, RIA Novosti correspondent reports. According to CEC data, turnout was 70.8% of voters as of 18:00. Five candidates are running for the post of head of the republic. This is the current head of state, the fourth president, Anatoly Bibilov, who has been acting since April 2017; Nykhas party leader Alan Gagloev, former MP Dmitry Tasoev, MP Garry Muldarov and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alexander Pliev. Polling stations worked in the capital and all four districts of South Ossetia. Four more are located abroad — two in North Ossetia and one each in Moscow and Sukhum. The security of each site will be provided by two security officials. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, more than 600 law enforcement officers will be involved during the elections. elections are planned to hold a referendum on unification with Russia. President Bibilov previously told RIA Novosti that his initiative for a nationwide vote on this issue is a step towards the «strategic goal» of the Ossetian people. He noted that Tskhinval had the opportunity to realize this goal back in 2014, when Crimea was reunited with Russia, but then it was not realized. Moscow recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26, 2008. This happened after the operation to force Georgia to peace, whose troops invaded Ossetian territory and tried to storm Tskhinval. elections in South Ossetia
