Opposition supporters started gathering in Tskhinvali center outside the government building on Thursday afternoon to protest against violation of a post-election deal between opposition leader Alla Jioyeva and ex-leader of the breakaway region Eduard Kokoity.

Reports from Tskhinvali about number of protesters varied from 100 to 200. Few hours later the opposition leaders called on supporters to disperse. According to some reports the opposition would again hold a rally on Sunday, but other reports say that the protest rally would be reconvened outside the government building on Friday.

Jioyeva told RIA Novosti news agency earlier on December 15, that the opposition would be holding rallies on the daily basis to force the authorities to fully implement the post-election deal.

Contrary to the deal, which put an end to the two-week long protest rallies, Parliament in the breakaway region voted down on December 14 a proposal on sacking chief prosecutor and chairman of the supreme court – two key allies of Kokoity, whose dismissal was one of the key provisions of the deal.  

“The agreement in which Russia acts as a guarantor is not implemented because of the South Ossetian Parliament. Violation of provisions [of the agreement] can explode situation and lead to unpredictable consequences,” Jioyeva said in a written statement on December 14.
 
Although Kokoity has resigned, recent developments – voting down of sacking chief prosecutor and supreme court chairman – showed that he retains grip on power, including through his ruling party, which dominates in the breakaway region’s 35-seat legislative body.

“Ex-president Eduard Kokoity’s party, the Unity, which has 17 lawmakers in the Parliament, is not trying to find ways out of the crisis; it is trying to keep power,” Jioyeva said.

With such developments, Jioyeva and her supporters are actually left empty-handed from the December 9 deal and speculations already rife that with Atsamaz Bichenov remaining on the post of supreme court chair, Jioyeva might not even be allowed to run in repeat presidential election set for March 25, 2012.