Week in the Caucasus: review of main events on October 28-November 3

Recognition of the victory of Georgy Margvelashvily at presidential election in Georgia and announcement of the name of possible new prime minister; two explosions near stores in Makhachkala, where 18 people suffered; adoption in the first reading of the law on the abolition of direct election of the head of North Ossetia; appointment of Konstantin Khramov to the post of Prime Minister of Kabardino-Balkaria; outbreak of African swine fever on the border of the Volgograd and Rostov Regions, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of October 28-November 3, 2013, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Georgia: CEC declares Margvelashvily's victory at presidential election

On October 28, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia announced that Georgy Margvelashvily, who had been nominated for the presidency by the coalition "Georgian Dream", gathered 62.11% of the votes, after processing of 100% of the ballots, and won the October 27 election. The runner-up – David Bakradze, the candidate of the "United National Movement", gathered 21.73% of the votes; and Nino Burjanadze, who was nominated by the "Democratic Movement-United Georgia", gathered 10.18% of the votes. Both of the losers have admitted their defeat. The inauguration of the newly elected president of Georgia will be held on November 17.

On October 28, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the incumbent prime minister and the leader of the ruling coalition, announced his intention to quit the politics. He recommended Irakli Garibashvili, the head of Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) instead of himself. On November 2, Georgy Margvelashvily told reporters that he supported the candidacy of Garibashvili as the new Premier.

On October 30, it became known that the leaving President Mikhail Saakashvili signed an act of clemency in relation to 248 persons, including those on the wanted list. On November 3, Saakashvili decided to pardon Bacho Akhalaya, the former Minister of Defence and the Interior Ministry of Georgia, who on October 28 was sentenced to three years and nine months of deprivation of freedom in the case of a prison riot.

Dagestan: 18 people fell victim to two explosions near stores in Makhachkala

On October 30, two explosions occurred in central Makhachkala within four minutes. The bombs were triggered near two stores. According to the latest data of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), the blasts killed one person, and 17 were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity. Investigators believe that the bombings were associated with the "Makhachkala" militant grouping. One of the websites that support the armed underground said that the owners of the stores were associated with the MIA leaders; however, the MIA has not yet commented on the information. A criminal case was opened on the blasts under several articles, but the terror act was not among them.

North Ossetia: MPs adopt cancellation of direct election of regional leader

On October 31, the deputies of the Legislative Assembly of North Ossetia adopted, in the first reading, the amendments to the Constitution of the Republic and the law on the election of the head of the republic, arguing in favour for the election of the regional leader by the parliament. In total, 53 MPs voted for the amendment, six voted against, and eight abstained. On November 1, four natives of North Ossetia held an unsanctioned picket near the North-Ossetian permanent mission in Moscow against the abolition of the direct election of the regional leader.

Kabardino-Balkaria: Konstantin Khramov appointed republic's Premier

On October 31, the Parliament of Kabardino-Balkaria approved Konstantin Khramov, whose candidacy was brought into the Legislative Assembly by the republic's leader Arsen Kanokov, as the chairman of the government (prime minister). On the same day, Mr Kanokov signed a decree appointing Mr Khramov to the post of the Premier. The new head of the government, who was earlier the vice-governor of the Volgograd Region and the Mayor of the city of Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Territory, has highlighted the attraction of investors, improvement of the investment image of the region, and the improvement of the quality and standards of living of the population as the main directions of his activities in his new post.

Volgograd and Rostov Regions: ASF outbreak registered on the border

On October 31, the authorities of the Tsymlyansky District of the Rostov Region introduced the state of emergency, because of an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF). On this day, in the village of Novotsimlyanskaya, in a private farm, a death of 18 animals was recorded, the cause being the ASF, as revealed by the assays. On October 30, 55 carcasses of piglets were found thrown out in the steppe in the Chernyshkovsky District of the Volgograd Region, which is bordering on the Tsymlyansky District. In five piglets the ASF virus was revealed. All the dead animals were burned down; and some monitoring activities are carried out in the district.