TSKHINVALI, Georgia — A presidential candidate in the separatist Georgian province of South Ossetia has danced before hundreds of supporters to claim victory over her Kremlin-anointed rival.

Anti-corruption crusader and ex-education minister Alla Dzhioyeva won 56.7 percent of Sunday's run-off vote in the tiny breakaway territory of 60,000 that depends entirely on Russia's political and economic support.

Her rival Anatoly Bibilov, emergencies minister in the region's government who has been endorsed by the Kremlin, won 40 percent of the vote.

Dzhioyeva declared victory Tuesday and ended her speech with a traditional Ossetian dance as her supporters yelled "Alla!" and "Victory!"

Russia recognized South Ossetia as an independent state after the 2008 Russian-Georgian war and expanded its military presence in the region.

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