The People of South Ossetia for Peace ( os, Цӕгат райгуырынц Хуссар Ирыстон, ka, სამხრეთ ოსეთის ხალხი მშვიდობისთვის) movement was the

opposition party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

and political movement in South Ossetia which was formed by the ethnic

Ossetians The Ossetians or Ossetes (, ; os, ир, ирæттæ / дигорӕ, дигорӕнттӕ, translit= ir, irættæ / digoræ, digorænttæ, label=Ossetic) are an Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the no ...

who had been formerly members of the

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

ist government in

Tskhinvali Tskhinvali ( ka, ცხინვალი ) or Tskhinval ( os, Цхинвал, Чъреба, Tskhinval, Chreba, ; rus, Цхинва́л(и), r=Tskhinvál(i), ) is the capital of the disputed ''de facto'' independent Republic of South Ossetia, int ...

and outspoken critics of de facto separatist regime in

, headed at that time by Eduard Kokoity.

Members

The organization was co-founded by

Dmitri Sanakoev Dmitry Ivanovich Sanakoyev (born 10 May 1969 in Tskhinvali, South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union) is a South Ossetian and Georgian politician, a former official in the secessionist government of South Ossetia and later, f ...

, former defence minister and then prime minister of breakaway South Ossetia for several months in 2001 when the region was run by de facto President Lyudvig Chibirov. Along with the other former members of the secessionist government, Sanakoev formed an opposition movement to Kokoity and his separatist agenda. The organization was officially founded on October 24, 2006 by Dmitri Sanakoev,

Maia Chigoeva-Tsaboshvili Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; la, Maia), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daugh ...

(head of the Tbilisi-based non-governmental organization Iber-Ironi Georgian-Ossetian Union), Giogi Chigoev, Teimuraz Jeragoev, Jemal Karkusov (former Interior Minister in the secessionist government), Vladimir Sanakoev and Uruzmag Karkusov.

Goals

The main aim of the organization was to put an end to Kokoity regime in Tskhinvali which maintains its pro-Russian and separatist stance. Soon after the secessionist authorities declared they would hold elections together with a referendum on November 12, 2006. The People of South Ossetia for Peace decided to conduct alternative elections where

Georgians The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, G ...

and Ossetians alike could participate as equal voters (unlike secessionist elections which did not include the Georgian population of South Ossetia).

History

After the November 12 vote, the ‘alternative polls’ informed that ex-South Ossetian prime minister Dimitri Sanakoev was elected as an alternative "President" of the region, and the alternative referendum resulted in a yes to launch talks with Tbilisi on creating a unified federal state with Georgia. "I have voted for peace and we expect Georgians and Ossetians to build a new state," Sanakoev said after casting his ballot in

Akhalgori Akhalgori ( ka, ახალგორი, os, Ленингор Leningor) is a town in Georgia, (in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region according to the official administrative division of Georgia). The name Akhalgori is the original historical name of th ...

, a district in South Ossetia that is controlled by the Georgian authorities. The Inauguration of Sanakoev as alternative President of South Ossetia took place on December 1, 2006, in the village of Kurta, a few kilometres north-east of Tskhinvali. Soon after inauguration, Sanakoev formed his government appointing Uruzmag Karkusov as Prime Minister, Jemal Karkusov as Interior Minister and Maia Chigoeva-Tsaboshvili as Foreign Minister. The secessionist regime in Tskhinvali has outlawed the organization. Several attacks on the houses of its members have also been reported. Officially, the Government of Georgia doesn’t recognize either authority, but has expressed the desire to cooperate with Sanakoev’s administration regarding the future of the region.

External links

Georgia: South Ossetia's Ethnic Georgians Launch Counter-VoteTwo Referendums and Two “Presidents” in South Ossetia
{{DEFAULTSORT:People Of South Ossetia For Peace Political parties in South Ossetia