16:00, 18 February 2012

CEC of South Ossetia removes Vice-Speaker Yuri Dzitstsoity from presidential race

The South-Ossetian Central Election Commission (CEC) has refused to register Vice-Speaker of the Parliament Yuri Dzitstsoity as a presidential candidate for the election to be held on March 25.

On February 14, the Vice-Speaker was the first among the contenders to pass the exam in state languages. After that, the CEC began checking authenticity of the 500 signatures collected in support of Yuri Dzitstsoity.

Today, a sitting of the CEC took place, where a decision was made to deny his registration as a candidate, because graphologists found violations in lists of signatures, the "Interfax" reports.

"Yuri Albertovich Dzitstsoity was denied registration, because the lists of signatures that he presented fail to meet the requirements of the electoral legislation of the country," said Irina Gassieva, Secretary of the CEC.

Mr Dzitstsoity disagrees with the CEC decision, as in his opinion, "only essential violations of the prescribed order of collecting signatures can make grounds to deny registration of a presidential candidate; however, there were no such violations", the RIA "Novosti" reports.