The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Russia has communicated this Saturday that Marat Kambólov has won the presidential elections held the day before in the separatist region of South Ossetia, elections that a large part of the international community does not recognize as they consider this territory part of Georgia.
"In light of the voting results, he is recognized as the elected president of the Republic of South Ossetia," the highest electoral body of Russia has pointed out, after specifying that Kambolov has gathered almost 85% of the votes in elections in which more than 82% of the electorate participated.
The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has already had a telephone conversation with Kambólov, in which he emphasized the "overwhelming victory" of the candidate. "He wished him all the best and success in implementing his electoral plans," noted the Kremlin spokesperson, Dimitri Peskov, in statements reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
Kambólov, 61 years old, has held various positions within the Russian administrative structure, including that of Deputy Minister of Education of Russia from 2010 to 2014.
He currently serves as the interim prime minister of South Ossetia since last June when Dzambolat Tadtaev submitted his resignation, which opened the way for the full implementation of the integration treaty signed in May with Russia, which aims to transform the region into a protectorate under the tutelage of Moscow.