The CEC of South Ossetia will set the date of the second round of the presidential elections at the meeting on Thursday, April 14.
“Tomorrow there will be a meeting, we have several proposals that we will consider,” the CEC head Emilia Gagieva told the IA “Res”.
On the eve of the CEC announced the expected date of the second round on May 8, previously announced on April 24.
“This issue caused discussions both among the members of the CEC, and, as we see, among the people, and in social networks, where initially the opinion about holding the second round on Easter was unacceptable for the population,” she said.
The issue of the date of the re-election was discussed at the meeting on 12 April.
“As you know, the repeat voting is held no later than 15 days from the day the results of the general elections are established, that is, the countdown of 15 days will begin from the day when the CEC officially determines the results of the elections on April 10, 2022. We have 5 days to determine the election results. Tomorrow, April 14, is the 5th day. Undoubtedly, organizing a repeat voting in 2 days (if held on April 17) is technically impossible. The following Sunday was also discussed - April 24 - Orthodox Easter - the Bright Resurrection of Christ, which, according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia dated 02.11. May is the International Holiday of Spring and Labor,” said the head of the CEC.
The CEC in its work is guided by the Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia, the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia" and the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia "On Elections of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia". Part 2 of Article 10 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia” establishes that voting can only be scheduled for Sunday and it is not allowed to schedule voting on a holiday.
“It is this norm that prevents many members of the CEC from deciding on the date for the repeat voting for the election of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia. Frankly, May 8 was announced for this very reason. In any case, a decision must be made. This decision will be taken collectively at a meeting of the CEC. I'll just give my personal opinion. Both Constitutional Laws regulate the holding of elections. At the same time, Article 56 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia” stipulates that the organization and conduct of repeat voting during elections are carried out in accordance with the Constitutional Laws of the Republic of South Ossetia.
For me, this is clearly a reference to Article 50 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia “On the Election of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia”, where this repeated voting must be held no later than 15 days from the day the results of the general elections are established. This norm is special in relation to the legal relations of repeat voting, and it is the issues of repeat voting that are regulated by Article 50, which does not name restrictions on a specific day of the calendar, but names the period for holding elections, which are stipulated in part 2 of Article 10 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights” and the right to participate in the referendum of citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia”, and a repeat vote following the results of the presidential elections in the Republic of South Ossetia.
In a word, at the CEC meeting, I will propose to hold a second vote on April 23, on Saturday, so that all participants in the electoral process spend Easter Sunday with their relatives and friends, and not at the polling stations. This is also a day off, and I believe this is the optimal and legal date for the second round,” said Gagieva.
The head of the CEC has stressed that in this case no one wants to make a mistake, “today there was even a proposal to send a letter to the Parliament of the Republic of South Ossetia on the interpretation of the norms regarding the dates and timing of the repeat voting, so that tomorrow none of the parties would appeal against the decision of the CEC on the date of the repeat voting”.
