Russia called on political forces in breakaway South Ossetia “to respect” a ruling of the Supreme Court annulling Sunday’s presidential runoff results in which an opposition candidate Alla Jioyeva was winning the race with Anatoly Bibilov, emergency situations ministers whose candidacy was openly backed by Moscow.

“Moscow is closely following developments in friendly neighboring state,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on November 30. “We are interested in calm and stable situation to be maintained in the young republic and in the political processes to develop exclusively in legal framework. For that to happen it is necessary for all the public-political forces respect decisions taken by the supreme bodies of the government.”

After the Supreme Court’s ruling the breakaway region’s Parliament set March 25, 2012 as the date for repeat election.

Meanwhile in Tskhinvali, a local news agency reported that Alla Jioyeva, who earlier vowed to protect his victory in the election including through street protest rallies, was meeting with the Russian diplomats in the premises of the Russian embassy in Tskhinvali. About 700 supporters of Jioyeva are gathered outside the Russian embassy, according to Res, a news agency run of the breakaway region’s authorities.