Failed South Ossetian presidential candidate: did an ally of Alan Gagloev try to take his place?
With around a year still to go before the next presidential election in South Ossetia, Nelli Gogicheva, editor-in-chief of the Ossetian-language literary magazine Fidiuæg, has already announced her intention to run.
Well before the official start of the campaign, she declared her candidacy and published a manifesto on her Telegram channel. However, her presidential ambitions proved short-lived — she soon withdrew, blaming unspecified “hostile forces”.
The magazine Fidiuæg receives funding from the authorities, and Gogicheva is known as a supporter of current president Alan Gagloev. In her manifesto, she stressed that she does not see herself as part of the opposition. At the same time, she suggested she could perform the presidential role better than Gagloev.
“Without claiming to belong to the opposition to the current authorities, and in order to protect the rights of the oppressed, the disadvantaged and the humiliated, to preserve national identity, language, literature and culture, to develop the national economy and further recognition of our state’s independence, as well as to fulfil the aspirations of all segments of society, to consolidate the people and prevent a demographic catastrophe, I have decided to run in the presidential election,” Gogicheva said, outlining her motivations.
In subsequent posts, she addressed the issue of women’s rights and highlighted gender inequality in South Ossetian politics.
“My participation in the election is meant to draw attention to a pressing issue — the treatment of women in society. In recent days, I have faced aggression from some men who claim that women have no right to engage in active public and political life.
Society’s reaction to women’s political participation is an indicator of our progress — or, on the contrary, regression. Despite global changes, many societies still view women’s involvement in politics with suspicion,” Gogicheva said.
As an example, she referred to the high-profile 2011 scandal, when Alla Dzhioyeva, who won the presidential election, was prevented from taking office.
Gogicheva also raised the issue of domestic violence against women, which she described as widespread in South Ossetia, and said she would seek to address it if elected.
All these high-profile promises by Gogicheva were met with little more than ironic surprise from potential voters. Few appeared to take them seriously. A few days later, she deleted both her posts and her Telegram channel, citing pressure from “destructive forces”.
She issued this statement through an opposition Telegram channel known for its sharp criticism of President Alan Gagloev and his government. The channel’s administrators said they did not know what was happening to Nelli Gogicheva and were simply publishing her message.
In her latest statement, Gogicheva complained of “hostile forces” that had prevented her from selflessly serving the people as president of South Ossetia. She did not name those responsible. However, she said that despite what she described as a “defamatory campaign” against her, she would continue her “struggle for the rights of South Ossetian citizens” — though not as a presidential candidate.
Residents of South Ossetia — whose rights Gogicheva says she intends to defend — again reacted with irony. Many also recalled how she had campaigned in support of the current president just a few years ago.
During the 2022 election campaign, Gogicheva активно promoted Gagloev’s candidacy on social media. Her efforts were later rewarded: after coming to power, he appointed her editor-in-chief of the magazine Fidiuæg.
Some now suggest that, having abandoned her own presidential ambitions, Nelli Gogicheva could once again campaign for Gagloev in the 2027 election. They argue it would be more beneficial for the authorities to channel her energy into boosting their ratings rather than allowing her to act independently in public politics.
This is especially relevant given Gagloev’s currently low approval ratings. If he decides to seek re-election — as many expect — vocal and energetic supporters could prove valuable.
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South Ossetian presidential candidate
