Pressure grows on South Ossetian leader Alan Gagloev amid accusations of theft, restrictions and self-isolation
Calls in South Ossetia for president’s resignation
South Ossetia’s opposition and much of the public are accusing President Alan Gagloev of embezzling billions and demanding his early resignation.
Vladimir Kelekhsaev, leader of the Unity of the People party and a former lawmaker, says Gagloev and his associates misused 1.5 billion rubles (about $20 million) in preferential loans provided by Russia.
Russia’s leadership has allocated a further tranche of 4 billion roubles (about $54 million) to South Ossetia, but the current authorities led by Alan Gagloev have used the funds to build only three facilities: a canning plant, a stone-processing workshop, and a timber enterprise, according to opposition figure Kelekhsaev.
“We called on Gagloev and his government not to squander the money, but to allocate it to the rural population living in declining villages, and to residents of Tskhinvali – 10, 20, 50 million roubles ($130,000, $200,000, $600,000) – so that our people could earn a living through small business and open small-scale production,” Kelekhsaev said.
He also estimated that no more than a little over half of the funds could have been spent on these three projects, adding that the whereabouts of the remaining money are unknown.
Activists of the socio-political movement Civil Platform, which had previously campaigned for Alan Gagloev during his time in opposition, have also sharply criticised the authorities.
The group said its current chairman, Sarmat Pliev, submitted a written request to the Ministry of Culture asking to use a hall in the republican library for a roundtable discussion, but Culture Minister Grigory Mamiev refused, citing instructions “from above.”
“A government that is afraid of its own citizens, a government that prefers to suppress rather than address acute social problems – does it have the right to call itself a government?” the activists said.
“We are outraged by ill-considered decisions by the authorities that further aggravate an already tense socio-political situation and provoke a social explosion that will not reflect well on the republic or its international standing,” they added.
The roundtable was ultimately held at another venue, where the accusations and demands against Gagloev were presented.
At the event, Vladimir Kelekhsaev also criticised Inara Gabaraeva, deputy chair of the Civil Platform and a well-known public figure, saying she had once personally campaigned for Alan Gagloev and was, to some extent, responsible for his rise to power and the current crisis.
Kelekhsaev said South Ossetian voters should abandon “emotion-driven protest voting” and elect a more capable candidate in future elections.
“Let us stop making these mistakes and in a year elect a truly genuine leader of the people, not random individuals. A person who will live with the concerns of the people, rather than fill their pockets while serving as president or prime minister,” he said.
Atsamaz Bibilov, a member of parliament and leader of the opposition United Ossetia party, said the current authorities had imposed restrictions on his party’s lawmakers, banning video broadcasts and any recording of parliamentary sessions. He described the move as limiting public access to information.
Participants also recalled that, while in opposition, Gagloev and his Nykhas party disrupted parliamentary procedures, obstructed its work and conducted live social media broadcasts, but have since introduced strict censorship and pursued political opponents after coming to power.
Those gathered said the authorities under Gagloev had effectively isolated themselves from the public.
Inara Gabaraeva summarised the consensus at the end of the discussion, calling for President Alan Gagloev to resign immediately.
“The way out of the crisis is the immediate early resignation of President Gagloev. People do not see their future in South Ossetia. We cannot allow the destruction of our people,” she said.
“The years of Alan Gagloev’s presidency are a failure. He has taken no steps for the benefit of the people. In four years, nothing has been done. What can he achieve in one more year? The authorities and the government live in a different universe; they have brought South Ossetia to a standstill,” she added.
Gabaraeva also suggested that the authorities could stage provocations to disrupt the next presidential election, scheduled for 2027.
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