MOSCOW. Nov 14 (Interfax-AVN) - Moscow has urged Georgia and the West not to belittle the role of South Ossetia's independence referendum and presidential elections.
"Whether one likes it or not, we are dealing with the free will of the people of South Ossetia, expressed through democratic procedures. However hard Georgia or Western countries may try to downgrade the role of this event, it carries significance. Disregarding it would not be a far-sighted approach, as a minimum," the Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Department said in a commentary, posted on the ministry's website on Monday evening.
The Foreign Ministry said it had expressed its preliminary opinion on the issue on November 10, and pointed out that "South Ossetia's polls have largely confirmed our forecast."
South Ossetia's Central Elections Commission published election returns on Monday, which indicate that the breakaway republic's independence was backed by 99% of voters, and 99% of voters supported incumbent South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity's re-election. Voter turnout was 95.2%, which is high compared to countries "with along-established democratic traditions," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Preparations for the elections and the polls were monitored by a large group of independent observers from many countries, including Poland, Austria, Germany, Russia, Ukraine and Baltic countries, the Foreign Ministry said.
"Observers' tentative conclusions indicate that the polls "complied with the generally recognized principles and standards of organizing and holding democratic elections, most of which are equally applicable to democratic referendums, while voting procedures "fully corresponded to the republic's electoral code." Observers did not uncover any pressure being put on voters, or any attempts being made to intimidate them. Observers remarked that many independent European countries and America must envy the degree of organization and transparency of South Ossetia's polls," the commentary says.
The Foreign Ministry expressed surprise over the so-called "alternative" elections, saying that, "the returns announced surpassed even the most immodest forecasts, as we predicted. It is amazing how the organizers managed to bring together over 40,000 voters at one time in several villages."
"We are really sorry for residents of South Ossetia's Georgian villages who found themselves hostages in a game of opportunists, who had organized parallel alternative elections in a bid to obstruct free and fair voting that was in compliance with local law," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.