Putin Appoints Hardliner Leader in North Ossetia

Following the resignation of the North Ossetian president Aleksander Dzasokhov, President of Russia Vladimir Putin nominated current speaker Teimuraz Mamsurov as the autonomous republics’ new leader to the North Ossetian Parliament.

Mamsurov, born in 1955, served in North Ossetia’s Communist Party youth branch and then political leadership. After the election of Aleksander Dzasokhov in 1999 he was appointed head of government. Since 2000 Mamsurov has acted as Speaker of the Parliament.

In June 2004 Mansurov addressed Russia’s political leadership calling to protect Russian citizens in Georgia’s South Ossetia against what he called US interference. His address read: “currently, with the participation of the United States of America a new phase of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict is taking place, which can lead to abrupt deterioration of the situation in the whole Caucasus region. 90% of South Ossetian residents have Russian citizenship and link their future with Russia alone.”

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)