"Our president in the hospital"

The author is a special correspondent of the Kommersant ID.

In South Ossetia, they are preparing for the next elections: deserted streets, broken roads, dust and wind, people in their eyes have fatigue and longing.

I come early in the morning, I am going to have breakfast to the nearest cafe. The hostess of the institution, a woman with large sad eyes, cooks coffee. Then he timidly asks: "Well, and for whom should we vote? Our president is in the hospital." "Which president?" -I do not immediately understand, trying to recall whether I read something about the hospitalization of Eduard Kokoita or Prime Minister Brovtsev (how many of them the lady considers the president). After a minute, I feel ashamed, because Fatima says: "Well, Alla Dzhioeva." Calmly, it says everyday, as if she had to explain to everyone a day a hundred times a day that Alla Gioeva is her president. I say that Fatima should make the choice of Fatima herself. Sounds stupid, I am embarrassed. I understand that she has already made her choice in November last year.

After Eduard Kokoita, through the Supreme Court, deprived Gioev of Victory, and Moscow supported these actions, every Russian who came to South Ossetia probably feels awkward. I feel anyway. Because sometimes they say to me: "Well, what did your Moscow do so with us." They say without anger-with reproach and as if with humility: they say, we understand everything, we are dependent on you, so we won’t be a buoy, but still why you are so with us ... And who does not speak, he asks with his eyes. That's how Fatima.

Gioeva is still in the hospital. Under the protection, which, in fact, is its jailer. Nobody is allowed to her. She does not participate in this election campaign-she was deprived not only by the right to nominate, but also, probably, the right to voice his sympathy in support of one of the candidates. In any case, she still remains silent. The city says that she was simply warned: "You will stir up water, you will get a new criminal case on trying to a coup."

“Yes, Alla Alekseevna probably shouldn’t have an inauguration,” Fatima discusses with me. “She is a woman, I offended her, I understand her. But is it fair? Is it honest with her? She won the elections, but why didn’t the Prosecutor General and Bichenova have fired her? After all, Alla Alekseevna did not, but they don’t just have her. They teased. "

The history of the conflict

In December last year, when Gioev, who gained a majority of votes and deprived of victory, led his supporters into the street, the situation in South Ossetia almost got out of control. Protesters and riot police stood against each other, all - citizens of South Ossetia and children of the same people. They say that nothing is worse in Ossetia. It is one thing when you fight someone from the outside, and another when with yourself.

The Moscow intermediary Sergei Vinokurov, an official from the Presidential Administration, proposed a option of settling the conflict: the parties were supposed to sign an agreement by which Dzhioeva led people away, and Kokoita, Prosecutor General Khugaev and the chairman of the Supreme Court of the Bachenov resigned. Gioeva fulfilled the agreement, the cocoys left, but the prosecutor general and the judge remained. A new wave of rumors went that in fact the cocoys would return, and it was precisely for this that he left his associates - so that they helped him take revenge.

There is nothing worse than such an outcome of events for South Ossetia. Therefore, if in December the main part of the voters said that it would not go to new elections, because she had already made her choice, then by March the majority decided to vote - everyone understood that if the elections did not take place, political instability would drag on, and there will be much more chances to return to Eduard Kokoita.

Candidates

It is interesting how the sympathy of voters are distributed today. Several small polls were conducted, the authors of which claim that the former head of the KGB of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov will go, and Dmitry Medoyev will compete for the second human rights, the Commissioner for Human Rights. In short, characterize the candidates, you can understand what social and age groups support them.

Sanakoev is a young man of a European format, a native of NGOs who has established himself as a human rights activist who managed to help some number of prisoners or dismissed people, but at the same time managed to work in a team with Edward Kokoita for 8 years. His theory, set out to me, is simple and unpretentious: "Water is sharpening the stone, there is no sense from rallies and screams, and there is no use from daily painstaking work, even in authoritarian regimes."

Dmitry Medoev - a diplomat with good ties in Moscow, lived there for many years. But the latter is rather a minus: it is important for Ossetians that a person is from the local environment, and not a “newcomer”. However, in favor of Medoev, he says a stable, predictable character, and for those who want the speedy completion of elected battles, this is the best candidate. He will be supported by officials and the army - it was not for nothing that the legendary pilot Vostrikov came with him, who called for the military to vote for Medoev. For him, also admin resource: Prime Minister Brovtsev, the acting president, plays the team of Medoev. However, last year’s elections in South Ossetia showed that not only the administrative resource, but even the personal shaking of Dmitry Medvedev, the hands of the candidate do not particularly affect the outcome of the vote.

Leonid Tibilov is a man of the Soviet era, a Chekist, who worked for many years after the resignation as a negotiator in a mixed control committee (SCC) in the Ossetian-Georgian conflict zone. The reason for its popularity is not understandable. Yes, the electorate is nostalgic for the past, yes, there is a certain request for a strong hand that will punish bribe takers and embezzlers, but nevertheless, there are no clearly expressed distrust or suspicions with regard to the rest of the candidates that they will be unclean in the hand. So what's the matter? Fatima explains briefly: "Jabo Tedeeev urged his guys to support Tibilov."

Gray Cardinal South Ossetia

Dzhambolat Tedeev, a former coach of the Russian team in freestyle wrestling, who lost his post for the support of Alla Gioeva, is a legendary person. Once he and his brother led to power in South Ossetia Eduard Kokoita. Then the president got rid of the care of former friends, squeezing them to Russia. In 2008, Ibrahim Tedeeev was killed in Vladikavkaz. Since then, popular rumor has stubbornly called Kokoita and Jambolat Tedeev enemies.

In the fall of 2011, Dzhambolat Tedeev wanted to participate in the elections, but the CEC refused to register due to the lack of a settling price. Tedeev’s supporters arranged a spontaneous rally at the CEC, blocking it; Prosecutor General Khugaev, who noted the birth of his nephew, arrived, he pushed Tedeev, roughly lifting him, smelled of alcohol from the prosecutor general - this was enough for the general prosecutor’s unacceptable behavior in the Kremlin. Until this day, there were stubborn rumors in the republic that Edward Kokoita would make General Prosecutor his successor. But in Moscow they said the hard "no". Whether this is connected with the conflict with the CEC - no one knows, but the cards to the President’s team Tedeeev confused.

Then he supported Alla Gioeva, which made her victory unacceptable for the Kokoita team - they understood that Alla Gioeva would come to power as Jambulat Tedeeev. Therefore, the Supreme Court accused Gioev of violations and recognized the elections invalid. Moscow also played a role, insulted that Ossetians chose not the candidate to whom Dmitry Medvedev shook his hand, but his rival. Therefore, Moscow did not stand up for Gioev, but called on it to come to terms with the court decision. It was a wrong step.

So, Leonid Tibilov became a candidate in which Dzhambolat Tedeeev focused his attention in the current election campaign. And if we take into account that, in addition to Tedeev, Tibilov is supported by Moscow businessmen Albert Dzhussoev and Gocha Dzasokhov, it becomes clear why this candidate is largely more wealthy than the rest.

A look across the border

There is one more among the candidates - the leader of the Communist Party Stanislav Kochiev, an intelligent, authoritative person with his permanent voter, but after a stroke has little chance of winning.

“Kochiev is a worthy man,” says Fatima. “But he is sick. And if he becomes the president and completely draws? Who will edit? Brovtsev? Or, God forbid, Kokoits? I’m most afraid of this.” “And if tomorrow is an atomic war?” I will ironize. “Maybe it’s worth it to give a chance to a person? Can he recover?” But these arguments in South Ossetia do not work. The Caucasus appreciates power.

In addition, the cockeut factor here outweighs all the arguments for Kochiev’s candidate: "If the new president gets sick, the Coccuta guys will immediately take power." She calls them "lapps". In Ossetian "Lappa"-boy, boy. But in conjunction with Eduard Kokoita, this phrase acquires a new meaning: his "lapps" are perceived as people who are ready for everything for the sake of power.

Sometimes it seems to me that the cocoys, once unusually popular, is deliberately demonized by someone. After all, there are, for example, in Russia, leaders are worse. But then I understand that this is the fate of all the rulers who have been sitting in power. They get tired of them. They are disappointed in them. And they cease to wait for something from them and believe them. And people need hope and faith.

Yes, and what can be paid to him? During his reign in the republic, the socio-economic situation has not improved on an iot. Yes, there was a war, yes, there was devastation, but in neighboring Georgia after the war everything was restored for a long time. And it is difficult to hide, even if the border on the castle. Mixed marriages and sundress radio, and even perennial grievances are the reasons why Ossetians and Georgians will not stop looking at each other and compare their life with the life of a neighbor. Therefore, the sooner Georgia will reform, the higher the request for reforms in South Ossetia. And any politician, even the most pro -Russian, should understand this.

“The police do not take a bribe at the Georgians,” says Fatima. “And officials all live on a salary. And if you are an official, then you live well. And if you are not an official, then you are nobody.” However, the compliments to Georgia end in this. As if compensating for the curtsy made aside, the inhabitants of South Ossetia after the phrases about the honest police and the absence of corruption will certainly say about the "abnormal Saakashvili" and the disasters caused to them.

So they will look through the wall, compare, worry. To ask why Russia cannot, like Georgia, build destroyed houses, roads, gardens and schools. And the longer Russia will not build it there, the more it will lose its authority. Especially if it does not stop interfering in the electoral process.

Resentment as an election factor

Fatima has not yet decided to whom she would give a voice. Here no one reads the programs of candidates, so everyone has the same programs. But they look into the eyes of a person, listen to his voice, evaluate his manner of speech and behavior. So Fatima sits in front of the TV every evening and studies the faces of candidates participating in the debate. Any incorrect movement, a trembling hand or a reserved gaze here can be more important than the entire election case of the candidate.

But her neighbors go to vote for Tibilov. “They don’t really like him, there are complaints about the 2008 war,” says Fatima. “He didn’t let the militias into the basement, he said that Georgians would be shot because of them. And we all were in uniform then. And we all sat in the basements. And how not to let them go? This is our children.” "So what is the secret? Why do you vote for him?" “Well, how to explain to you?” Fatima adds coffee. “People have a resentment. They were not allowed to choose the president in November. They say:“ You didn’t give us then, but we will still choose who we want to ”. And that Jabo supported Tibilova, for many, it means that Alla Gioeva supports him” - “That is, this is a vote?” Voting? -“Well, it’s like with a neighbor who offended you with something, you know? You know that you will live with him all your life, you will not get anywhere, you will eat together on holidays, congratulate you on your birthday, but you must punish it a little”-“You can punish yourself!” “This is true,” the woman sighs. “My husband also says that if Tibilov wins, his environment will then share the authorities for a long time. But I think they will drive away cocoys and all the“ lapps ... ” -“ Where does the husband work? ” -“ In the police ... Oh, I don’t know. It's a shame for me. Alla is a good person. Why are we so offended? "

During the day, I often hear such, strange at first glance, phrases. But this is only at first glance. In them, and the wounded pride, and the desire for a better life, and the desire to achieve justice. And such phrases and conversations are better than any experts explain that the elections in the Caucasus are very often irrational phenomenon.