Eduard Kokoity – Kokoiti or Kokoev in Russian – was elected on December 6th 2001 President of the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia, which is officially a region within Georgia.

Born on October 31st 1964, Eduard Kokoity is firstly a wrestling champion among the Russian national team. Between 1989 and 1992 he is the First Secretary of the Tskhinvali Komsomol (Communist Youth Organisation). Afterwards, he moves to Moscow to make business. There he becomes the leader of the South-Ossetian representation between 1997 and 1999. He moves back to Tskhinsvali in 2001.

Eduard Kokoity, 38, wins the presidential elections on December 6th 2001, over the Speaker of the de facto South-Ossetian Parliament, Stanislas Kochiev, and the outgoing president, Ludvig Tchibirov.
The main reason for his victory was that he was suddenly supported by the Tedeyev clan, one of the most powerful families in South-Ossetia. Indeed Albert Tedeyev and his brother Jambulat, former wrestling champion and trainer of the Russian national team, financed his electoral campaign after having supported for years Chibirov, the outgoing president. It is still unclear why they switched their support at the last-minute, even if it is for sure for economic reasons. And yet, in July 2003, Kokoity pushes the Tedeyev aside the spheres of influence and hushes up their militias.

Politically, Kokoity took a firm stance against the reunification of South Ossetia with Georgia. In July-August 2004, when tensions mounted between South Ossetia and Georgia, Edouard Kokoity asserted that "Georgia wants to go to war. We are ready to defend ourselves."

His guideline: South-Ossetia’s right to self-determination, and underlyingly, the wish to join Russia.

Moreover, the Russian Minister of Defense, Serguei Ivanov, also hailed the numerous announcements made by Kokoity in August 2004, notably when he mentionned that "most of the inhabitants of South Ossetia are Russian citizens and so the Russian government has to look after them."