South Ossetian parliamentary election, 2009

A parliamentary election in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia recognised as an independent state by Russia and Nicaragua, was held in June 2009. According to the preliminary results, the highest number of votes went to the ruling Unity Party. Two opposition parties were not permitted to run out of concern that they might not be loyal to Eduard Kokoity, the President of South Ossetia.

Under laws of Georgia, the elections were illegal.

The European Union, the United States, and NATO have issued statements saying these organisations consider the elections illegal, and have rejected their results.

The Republic of South Ossetia has a population of about 70,000. It has had de facto independence from central Georgian rule since the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War. After the August 2008 South Ossetia war, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia, followed by Nicaragua. Other countries, including Georgia, consider South Ossetia part of Georgia's constitutional territory.

Four parties were contesting for 34 seats in the Parliament of South Ossetia. According to the central election commission, 45,000 people were registered to vote on Sunday. This was the first South Ossetian election since the republic obtained its limited international recognition in 2008. The election was observed by over 70 observers from 10 countries, including representatives from Abkhazia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. Among the observers were Vladimir Churov, the chairman of the Central Election Commission of Russia and Giulietto Chiesa, Italian MEP for Italy of Values, former member of the Italian Communist Party.

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