Kremlin-backed politician emerges as South Ossetia's new prime minister and potential presidential contender
Kambolov appointed South Ossetia’s PM
New presidential adviser Marat Kambolov has been appointed prime minister of South Ossetia. Parliament unanimously approved the candidacy of the Moscow official, who was dispatched to Tskhinvali by the Kremlin in early June.
Kambolov was nominated for the premiership by President Alan Gagloev himself. However, many observers believe Kambolov will soon displace Gagloev as president.
A native of North Ossetia, Marat Kambolov has built a successful career in the Russian state apparatus. Over the years, he has held senior positions in the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Ministry for Nationalities and Regional Policy, among other government bodies.
In his speech following the vote, Kambolov pledged to use all his knowledge and experience to improve the lives of South Ossetia’s residents.
He described the depopulation that has taken place in recent years as unacceptable.
“Thirty years ago, the republic had a population of around 100,000. Today, the official figure is just over 50,000. In reality, as we know, it is lower. Within the span of a single generation, South Ossetia has lost nearly half of its population.
“Today, this is our main challenge. An economy cannot function without people, schools are unnecessary without children, and villages disappear without residents. Every government decision must therefore answer a simple question: what new opportunities does it create for the people of Ossetia?”
According to the new prime minister, when defining a development strategy it is important not to focus solely on economic and social indicators, but also to preserve the republic’s spiritual foundations.
“South Ossetia must remain a place where the Ossetian language, national traditions and historical memory are preserved.”
He also stressed Russia‘s special role in South Ossetia’s history and the shared historical and political ties between the two peoples.
“South Ossetia has everything it needs for development: talented people, a strong character, enormous internal potential and Russia’s support,” he said, adding that Russia had played a key role in ensuring peace and security during the most difficult periods in the republic’s history.
Today prime minister, tomorrow president?
The appointment of Kambolov as South Ossetia’s prime minister came a month after Russian and South Ossetian leaders, Vladimir Putin and Alan Gagloev, signed a “Treaty on Deepening Allied Relations” on 9 May.
Under the terms of the agreement, Gagloev was obliged to appoint Kambolov as his adviser on 27 May and place him in charge of overseeing its implementation.
Kambolov’s emergence on the political scene has nonetheless dealt a serious blow to the current leadership headed by the president. Many observers believe Russia has moved to correct the mistakes and failures of Gagloev and his team before South Ossetia sinks deeper into a socio-political crisis.
According to one theory, Kambolov was dispatched to Tskhinvali amid a scandal surrounding the alleged misuse of a multi-billion-ruble loan provided to South Ossetian authorities by a Russian bank.
The case reportedly concerns 7bn roubles ($89m), which President Alan Gagloev’s team, led by then Prime Minister Konstantin Dzhussoyev and his first deputy Dzambolat Tadtaev, is alleged to have siphoned off through shell companies.
“Now Moscow has sent its own man. He has a free hand and the authority to conduct a full audit of the financial and economic system. The question of Gagloev’s resignation has already been decided, although he is still trying to cling to power. For example, he attempted to delay Kambolov’s appointment as state adviser.
But that will not save Gagloev. He will resign soon. Unfortunately, however, he is unlikely to face any consequences. It is expected that he will move to Moscow,” some local experts argue.
The next presidential election in South Ossetia is scheduled for 2027, but political strategist David Gazzati believes it will be brought forward to September 2026, with Marat Kambolov emerging as a leading contender.
‘It will be very difficult’
For now, however, the main question is not whether Kambolov will become president, but what he will do as prime minister.
Gazzati believes that, regardless of his future political ambitions, the new prime minister will face a difficult task.
In his view, one of the key challenges will be the composition of the government team and its level of professionalism.
“Part of the team will be new and brought in from Russia. The local population is very sensitive to that, so there will be dissatisfaction from the outset. But there will also be dissatisfaction with those who remain, because many people associate them with previous administrations which, in their view, brought nothing good to South Ossetia. In short, Marat Kambolov will have a very difficult job.”
Indeed, shortly after parliament approved Kambolov’s appointment, President Alan Gagloyev signed a decree appointing his controversial ally Dzambolat Tadtaev as first deputy prime minister. According to South Ossetian opposition figures, Tadtaev has been linked to corruption schemes and the alleged misuse of loan funds.
“This appointment has already caused surprise in society. Tadtaev is one of the officials blamed for the failed implementation of the Investment Programme, while billions of roubles allocated by Russia disappeared.
In effect, Gagloyev has already undermined Kambolov with this appointment. People expected the arrival of a Kremlin-backed figure to bring serious changes, perhaps even prosecutions, but instead they have seen the same allegedly corrupt figures from Gagloyev’s circle remain in office,” another South Ossetian expert argued.
The expert suggested that Tadtaev’s retention may reflect a compromise between Gagloyev and Kambolov.
Overall, however, he said there remains hope that the new prime minister will be able to cope with the “challenges and provocations of the current team”.
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