Incumbent president Lyudvig Chibirov was eliminated in the first round mostly due to popular disdain in his economic policies.

[1] The election was held using the two-round system; meaning that a candidate would only be declared a winner if they received over 50% of the vote in the first round.

Incumbent president Lyudvig Chibirov was rocked with scandal when a rumor surfaced that he was negotiating with Georgian officials on the re-annexation of the republic into Georgia on the condition of a local autonomy slimier to the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast.

They were unsuccessful in their effort to force Chibirov to resign but used this election as an opportunity to remove him from office and finally control the executive branch of the government.

[3] The three candidates were: The first round of the election was held on 19 November saw Kokoity receive 48% of the vote, followed by Kochiev with 25% and Chibirov in third with less than 20%.