Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia

Provisional Administration of South Ossetia სამხრეთ ოსეთის დროებითი ადმინისტრაცია
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of South Ossetia (grey) in Georgia.
Capital	Kurta (2007–2008) Tbilisi (since 2008, in exile) a
Official languages	Georgian Ossetian
Government	Exiled Provisional administration
• Head	Dmitry Sanakoyev
• Interior Minister	Jemal Karkusov
Provisional governmentb
• Established	April 2007
Currency	Georgian lari (GEL)
Time zone	GET (UTC+4)
Initially, the administration was based in Kurta and was administering the settlements and territory outside the separatists' control. This territory was lost as a result of the 2008 South Ossetia War and thus the administration is now in exile. The administration was set up by the Georgian government as a temporary measure before the settlement of South Ossetia's status. As of June 26, 2007, Georgia is proposing the status of autonomous republic within the Georgian state.

The Provisional Administration of South Ossetia (Georgian: სამხრეთ ოსეთის დროებითი ადმინისტრაცია, Samkhret' Oset'is droebit'i administrats'ia) is an administrative body that Georgia regards as the legal government of South Ossetia. The administration was set up by the Georgian government as a transitional measure leading to the settlement of South Ossetia's status. As of 2007, Georgia is proposing the status of autonomous republic within the Georgian state. The area mainly lies within the Shida Kartli region.

The Salvation Union of South Ossetia was founded in October 2006 by the ethnic Ossetians who were outspoken critics and presented a serious opposition to secessionist authorities of Eduard Kokoity.

The group headed by the former defence minister and then prime minister of secessionist government Dmitri Sanakoev organized the so-called alternative presidential election, on November 12, 2006– parallel to those held by the secessionist authorities in Tskhinvali. High voter turnout was reported by the alternative electoral commission, which estimated over 42,000 voters from both Ossetian (Java district and Tskhinvali) and Georgian (Eredvi, Tamarasheni, etc.) communities of South Ossetia and Sanakoev reportedly received 96% of the votes. Another referendum was organised shortly after asking for the start of negotiations with Georgia on a federal arrangement for South Ossetia received 94% support. However the Salvation Union of South Ossetia turned down a request from a Georgian NGO, “Multinational Georgia”, to monitor it and the released results were very likely to be inflated.

“I, the President of the Republic of South Ossetia, declare before God and Nation that I will protect the interests of the South Ossetian people... I will take care of the security, well-being and revival of South Ossetia and its people,”

Dimitri Sanakoev said in his presidential oath, which he gave in the Ossetian and Georgian languages during the inauguration ceremony held on December 1, 2006.

Soon after Sanakoev formed his government, appointing Uruzmag Karkusov as Prime Minister, Jemal Karkusov (former Interior Minister in the secessionist government) as Interior Minister and Maia Chigoeva-Tsaboshvili (head of the Tbilisi-based non-governmental organization Iber-Ironi Georgian-Ossetian Union) as Foreign Minister.