• Kokoity and his key allies to quit;
• Jioyeva allowed to run in repeat election in March;
• PM to become interim leader before repeat polls;
• Russia acting as "guarantor" of the deal

Ten days after street protest rallies opposition and the authorities in breakaway South Ossetia signed a Russian-brokered deal late on Friday night to end the post-election crisis following annulment of an opposition candidate Alla Jioyeva's victory in the November 27 presidential runoff over Kremlin-backed Anatoly Bibilov.

Local and Russian media sources are reporting that according to the agreement South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity will quit his post on Saturday; his closest allies, involving chief prosecutor Taimuraz Khugaev, his deputy Eldar Kokoev, as well as chairman of supreme court Atsamaz Bichenov will also quit thier posts.

Kokoity was strongly against of his resignation suggesting on December 8, that he would not yield to pressure from protesters. Kokoity, whose second and final term in office expired on December 7, was planning to stay in power till repeat elections in March, 2012.

Repeat presidential election will be held on March 25, 2012 and Jioyeva will be allowed to run, according to the deal.

This date was set by the Parliament shortly after the supreme court annulled the November 27 runoff's results. Jioyeva, however, was barred from running on the grounds that her illegal actions caused annulment of the runoff results. Jioyeva was insisting on her victory, saying that she had no intention to run in the repeat polls, which she deemed illegal. Her supporters were planning to hold her "presidential inauguration" on December 10.

Also as part of the deal the breakaway region's PM Vadim Brovtsev will become an interim leader before the repeat election in March. An opposition representative will be appointed as deputy prime minister, according to the deal.

The deal was announced by the opposition representatives late on Friday night after talks with Kokoity and Kremlin official, Sergey Vinokurov, who is in Tskhinvali since November 30.

Russia will act as "a guarantor" of the deal, according to the local news agency, Res, run by the breakaway region's authorities.