Nykhas
{{Short description|Political party in South Ossetia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Nykhas
| native_name = Ныхас
| logo = Logo of the Nykhaz.svg
| colorcode = {{party color|Nykhas}}
| leader = Zita Besayeva
| founder = Alan Alborov
| founded = {{Start date|2013|||df=yes}}
| merger = New Ossetia (2018)
Alanian Union (2019)
Liberty Square (2019)
| membership_year = 2017
| membership = 790
| ideology = {{ubl|Anti-establishment{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}|Ossetian nationalism}}
| position =
| colours = {{color box|{{party color|Nykhas}}|border=darkgray}} Dark blue
| anthem =
| seats1_title = Parliament
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|10|34|{{party color|Nykhas}}}}
| flag =
| website = [https://www.facebook.com/Nyhas2019 Facebook page]
| country = South Ossetia
}}
Nykhas ({{langx|os|Ныхас|lit=Meeting, Speech}}) is a political party in South Ossetia founded in 2013 by supporters of Independent president Leonid Tibilov.{{Cite web |date=2 February 2020 |title=Парламентская партия "Ныхас" сменила лидера: ее возглавил Алан Гаглоев |url=http://cominf.org/node/1166527912 |access-date=12 April 2022 |website=Государственное информационное агентство "Рес" |language=ru}}{{Cite web |title=Сообщение политсовета партии "Ныхас" {{!}} Парламент Республики Южная Осетия |url=http://parliamentrso.org/node/984 |access-date=12 April 2022 |website=parliamentrso.org}} Its members and supporters are referred to as Nykhasovites in local media.{{cite web |last1=Tarkhanova |first1=Zhanna |title=New Speaker of the Parliament of South Ossetia's criminal past |url=https://jam-news.net/new-speaker-of-the-parliament-of-south-ossetia-possible-criminal-record/ |website=Jam News |access-date=12 February 2024}}
History
Nykhas's name is an homage to the Adamon Nykhas popular front which was established by Ossetian nationalists in 1988 advocating for greater separation of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic during the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.{{cite web |last1=Ó Tuathail |first1=Gearóid |last2=O’Loughlin |first2=John |title=1 Inside South Ossetia: A Survey of Attitudes in a De Facto State |url=https://ibs.colorado.edu/johno/pub/PSA2013.pdf |website=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=27 March 2024}}
The party was founded by Alan Alborov, former mayor of Tskhinvali. By the 2014 South Ossetian parliamentary election, in which the party won four seats, the party's leader was Ruslan Gagloyev. Although officially an Independent, the party has been associated with then President Leonid Tibilov, with this association continuing even after him leaving office in 2017.{{Cite web |title=Партия "Ныхас": жизнь после жизни |url=https://www.ekhokavkaza.com/a/28851614.html |access-date=12 April 2022 |website=Эхо Кавказа |language=ru}}
Gagloyev initially ran as the party's candidate for president in 2017. However, he would be disqualified and endorsed Tibilov.{{cite web |last1=Widhiyanto |first1=Fajar |title=Ossetia Selatan Berniat Bergabung Kembali dengan Rusia |url=https://investor.id/international/289039/ossetia-selatan-berniat-bergabung-kembali-dengan-rusia |website=investor.id |access-date=30 April 2023}} In the lead up to the 2019 South Ossetian parliamentary election the New Ossetia party led by David Sanakoyev, the Alanian Union led by Alan Gagloev, and the Ossetia – Liberty Square party led by Alla Dzhioyeva merged into Nykhas, with Sanakoyev becoming the new party leader. This resulted in the party almost doubling their vote from 7.79% to 14.37%, however, they failed to garner any more seats in Parliament. Gagloev would go on to be elected the chairman of the party in February 2020.{{cite web|url=https://cominf.org/node/1166542169|title=Alan Gagloyev: Candidate for President of South Ossetia. Elections 2022|language=ru|website= IA Res|date=20 March 2022}}
Gagloev would be the party's candidate for president in the 2022 presidential election and would defeat the incumbent President Anatoly Bibilov to become the fifth President of South Ossetia.https://www.interfax.ru/world/834251 Президент Южной Осетии и лидер партии "Ныхас" вышли во второй тур выборов{{Cite web |title=Избирателей Южной Осетии заинтересовало "новое лицо": почему Гаглоев обходит Бибилова |url=https://www.mk.ru/politics/2022/04/11/izbirateley-yuzhnoy-osetii-zainteresovalo-novoe-lico-pochemu-gagloev-obkhodit-bibilova.html |access-date=12 April 2022 |website=www.mk.ru |language=ru}} Following his election Zita Besayeva was elected leader of the party in February 2023.{{Cite web |title=Югоосетинская партия "Ныхас" избрала себе нового лидера (South Ossetian Nykhas party elects new leader) |url=https://cominf.org/node/1166547975 |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=IA Res |date=2023-02-03 |language=ru}}
Under Gagloev's leadership the referendum on annexation into Russia was suspended until at least the end of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{Cite news |date=30 May 2022 |title=Georgian breakaway territory suspends announced referendum on joining Russia – decree |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/georgian-breakaway-territory-suspends-announced-referendum-joining-russia-decree-2022-05-30/ |access-date=30 May 2022}} Gagloev would also assert his "supreme authority" over the armed forces after units under the command of the defense minister assaulted Ossetian civilians throughout the country.{{Cite web |url=https://south-ossetia.info/alan-gagloev-nikomu-ne-pozvoleno-narushat-zakon/|language=ru|title=Алан Гаглоев: "Никому не позволено нарушать закон"}} This is after his predecessor had allowed parts of the South Ossetian military to be under the authority of the Russian army, as well as a large desertion by South Ossetians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{Cite web |title=Putin approves army deal with Georgia's South Ossetia |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/3/14/putin-approves-army-deal-with-georgias-south-ossetia |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Ball |first=Tom |title=Deserting South Ossetian troops hitchhike home in 'mass mutiny' |newspaper=The Times |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/deserting-south-ossetian-troops-hitchhike-home-in-mass-mutiny-7vrncmxdc |access-date=2022-08-21 |issn=0140-0460}} He has also loosened regulations for the predominately ethnically Georgian residents of the Akhalgori Municipality to travel back and forth between Georgia and South Ossetia.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-18 |title=South Ossetia to partially reopen crossing points for Akhalgori Georgians |url=https://oc-media.org/south-ossetia-to-partially-reopen-crossing-points-for-akhalgori-georgians/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=OC Media |language=en-US}}
Election results
= Parliament of South Ossetia =
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!Election !Leader !Votes !% !Seats !+/– !Status |
| 2014
|align=left rowspan=1|Ruslan Gagloyev |1,574 |7.79% (4th) |{{composition bar|4|34|hex={{party color|Nykhas}}}} |New |{{yes2|Pro-presidential{{refn|The party declared itself pro-presidential, meaning supporting Leonid Tibilov. After the presidential elections of 2017, which Anatoly Bibilov (United Ossetia) won, the party went into opposition.}}}} |
|---|
| 2019
|align=left rowspan=1|David Sanakoyev |3,198 |14.37% (3rd) |{{composition bar|4|34|hex={{party color|Nykhas}}}} |{{steady}} 0 |{{no2|Opposition}} |
| 2024
|6,690 |30.59% (2nd) |{{composition bar|10|34|hex={{party color|Nykhas}}}} |{{increase}} 6 |
= Presidential =
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! rowspan="2"|Election ! rowspan="2"|Candidate ! colspan="2"|First round ! colspan="2"|Second round ! rowspan="2"|Result |
| Votes
! % ! Votes ! % |
|---|
| 2017
| Endorsed Leonid Tibilov{{Cite web |url=https://www.ekhokavkaza.com/a/28270570.html |title="Воистину народный кандидат" ("A true people's candidate") |work=Ekho Kavkaza (RFE/RL) |date=2017-01-31 |access-date=2022-05-14 | language=ru }} | 10,909 | 33.71% | colspan="2" bgcolor=darkgrey| | {{N}} |
| 2022
| 10,707 | 38.55% | 16,134 | 56.09% | {{Y}} |
Party Chairmen
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |
| No.
! Name ! Term ! Notes ! Ref. |
|---|
| 1.
| 2013 - 2014 | Party's Founder, former mayor of Tskhinvali |
| 2.
| 2014 - June 2018 | Member of Parliament, former Undersecretary of the Security Council of South Ossetia |
| 3.
| June 2018 - February 2020 | Presidential candidate in 2012, chairman of New Ossetia and foreign minister |
| 4.
| February 2020 - February 2023 | Presidential candidate in 2017, chairman of Alanian Union elected president in 2022 |
| 5.
| February 2023 - Incumbent | Founding member of the party, longtime member of parliament |