Andrey Turchak, Secretary of the United Russia General Council, paid a visit to the occupied Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia to support incumbent leader Anatoly Bibilov's re-election bid on April 10.

The Russian governing party and Bibilov's United Ossetia inked a cooperation agreement ahead of Tskhinvali's official declaration of his re-election attempt at the party's congress.

Turchak said Bibilov "has the requisite expertise and understanding of state-building, as well as good personal potential for active development of Russian-South Ossetian ties and the execution of the socio-economic development program."

Furthermore, the Kremlin-backed Tskhinvali leader was praised by a United Russia official as a man who had established himself as a "responsible head of state" capable of resolving people's concerns.

Turchak warned that choosing persons without similar expertise would result in public dissension, the adoption of spurious reforms, and personnel reshuffles.

"The election results will have a significant impact on the future of all South Ossetians," Turchak said, emphasising the necessity of "common sense and real care" for the occupied area prevailing over personal goals in the  voting.

In addition to the delegation, Sergey Menyaylo, the leader of Russia's North Ossetian Republic, and Denis Pushilin, the heads of the self-declared "Donetsk People's republic" and "Luhansk People's republic," respectively, visited Tskhinvali in support of Bibilov.

Lyudvig Chibirov, the first "elected president" of the conquered area, likewise backed Bibilov.

Bibilov got 54.8% of the vote in the previous 2017 election, defeating then-incumbent and Kremlin favorite Leonid Tibilov, who garnered 33.7% of the vote.

Except for Russia and a few other nations that accept the region's independence from Georgia, elections in Tskhinvali Region are regarded as illegal by Tbilisi and the world community.