South Ossetia appoints new prime minister as opposition voices protest
Prime Minister of South Ossetia
In South Ossetia, a new prime minister has been appointed despite opposition resistance, and he has already faced criticism over his previous post.
The opposition United Ossetia party refused to back President Alan Gagloev’s nominee, Dzambolat Tadtaev, for the post of prime minister. The party’s parliamentary faction, led by its chairman Atsamaz Bibilov, walked out of the session in protest. The opposition directly links South Ossetia’s socio-economic crisis to Tadtaev, who until recently served as deputy prime minister and finance minister.
On 21 January, the head of South Ossetia dissolved the previous government.
Atsamaz Bibilov accused both Tadtaev and President Gagloev of failing to deliver the socio-economic development programme through 2025. He said Tadtaev lacked the professional competence and moral authority to serve as prime minister.
Despite the failure of the 2022–2025 programme, Gagloev and Tadtaev immediately announced the launch of a new socio-economic development plan for 2026–2030, which, like the previous one, will be financed by Russia.
“We do not see how he could implement the next programme. It is clear that the man has simply been moved to another position where there will again be no results. Our faction believes this nomination was put forward so they could avoid responsibility. We simply decided not to take part in this farce,” Bibilov said.
However, despite the opposition’s protest, Tadtaev’s candidacy was approved by parliament. Lawmakers from the pro-presidential Nykhas party, the People’s Party and the Communist Party of South Ossetia voted in favour. The same day, Gagloev signed a decree appointing Dzambolat Tadtaev as prime minister.
South Ossetian Telegram channels say Tadtaev’s nomination was influenced by family ties to one of Gagloev’s close allies, the scandal-tainted first deputy head of the South Ossetian KGB, Alexander Tuaev. Tadtaev is married to Tuaev’s sister. He is also the godson of Arsen Gagloev, often described as the “grey cardinal” of South Ossetian politics, who is said to have played a key role in bringing Alan Gagloev to the presidency.
One local analyst says the “open challenge” thrown down by Atsamaz Bibilov and United Ossetia to Gagloev and his entourage signals that the domestic political situation is entering a period of serious confrontation.
“The opposition had long shown restraint and avoided dramatic moves to preserve stability, but the authorities interpreted this as weakness and the party’s inability to act. Last year, United Ossetia’s bank accounts were frozen on what it calls fabricated grounds, and pressure has been put on its members — all against the backdrop of Gagloev’s weak and ineffective governance.
Tadtaev’s appointment suggests an attempt by the current ruling team to hold on to power and cover up traces of possible corruption,” the analyst said.
In his view, as the presidential election approaches, more evidence of corruption within the president’s circle will become public.
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Prime Minister of South Ossetia
