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South Ossetia,
independentIndependence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
partially recognized republic in the
South CaucasusThe South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Transcaucasus...
, formerly the
South Ossetian Autonomous OblastThe South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast of the Soviet Union created within the Georgian SSR on April 20 1922. Its autonomy was unilaterally revoked on December 10, 1990 by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR, leading to the First South Ossetian War...
within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic with its capital in
TskhinvaliTskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognized as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela and Nicaragua, and is regarded by Georgia as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory under the Russian occupation.It is located...
, held a
referendum on independence on November 12, 2006. The voters answered the question:
"should South Ossetia preserve its present status of a de factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "by [the] fact". In law, it is meant to mean "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but without being officially established"...
independent state?" 99% of voters supported independence. It coincided with
de facto South Ossetian presidential elections, which took place on the same day.
Referendum
Parallel to the referendum and elections, the Georgia-backed Ossetian opposition movement (
People of South Ossetia for PeaceThe People of South Ossetia for Peace movement is the main opposition party and political movement in South Ossetia which was formed by the ethnic Ossetians who were formerly members of the secessionist government in Tskhinvali and outspoken critics of de facto separatist regime in Tskhinvali,...
) organized own elections in the village of Eredvi, inhabited by ethnic Georgians, in which both Georgian and some Ossetian inhabitants of the region voted in favour of
Dmitry SanakoyevDmitry Ivanovich Sanakoyev is a South Ossetian and Georgian politician, a former official in the secessionist government of South Ossetia and currently Head of the Provisional Administration of South Ossetia, a rival entity established in 2007 in the Georgian-controlled territories of this...
as the alternative President of South Ossetia. The alternative elections of Sanakoyev claimed full support of the ethnic Georgian population.
Results
On November 13, the Central Election Commission of South Ossetia announced the results of the referendum. 99% of voters have supported the independence, and the turnout amounted to 95.2%.
{{Referendum
| title = South Ossetian independence referendum, 2006
| yes = 51,565
| yespct = 98.85
| no = 60
| nopct = 0.12
| valid = 51,625
| validpct = 98.97
| invalid = 538
| invalidpct = 1.03
| total = 52,163
| turnoutpct = 94.6
| electorate = 55,163
| source =
Ugo-osetia.ru
}}
Reactions
The Georgian government has officially declared both elections illegal, but it is believed to support the Salvation Union of Ossetians, the organization in charge of holding the alternative elections. Kokoity thus accused Tbilisi of staging the alternative elections in order to create a "puppet government" in South Ossetia.
The Georgian side considers this move by
de facto authorities in Tskhinvali as a provocative and unconstitutional action, and warns that this decision will further raise the tensions in the
Georgian-Ossetian conflictThe Georgian–Ossetian conflict refers to the ethno-political conflict in Georgia's autonomous region of South Ossetia, which evolved in 1989 and developed into a 1991–1992 South Ossetia War. Despite a declared ceasefire and numerous peace efforts, the conflict remains unresolved, and minor armed...
zone. However, on September 12, 2006, the Chairman of the
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n
State DumaThe State Duma in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma is headquartered in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to as deputies...
,
Boris GryzlovBoris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov , is a Russian politician and current Speaker of Russia's State Duma . He is one of the leaders of the largest Russian political party, United Russia...
welcomed the appointed South Ossetian referendum and announced that Russian parliamentarians will observe the voting process. On September 13, 2006, the Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues, Merab Antadze, issued a statement, condemning Gryzlov's statement as "destructive."
On September 13, 2006, the
Council of EuropeThe Council of Europe is the oldest international organisation working towards European integration, having been founded in 1949. It has a particular emphasis on legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
(CoE) Secretary General Terry Davis commented on the problem, stating that
{{cquote|The secessionist authorities of the South Ossetian region of Georgia are wasting time and effort on the organisation of a "referendum on independence" in November... I do not think that anyone will recognise the result of such a referendum. If the people in power in South Ossetia are genuinely committed to the interest of the people they claim to represent, they should engage in meaningful negotiations with the Georgian government in order to find a peaceful, internationally accepted outcome.}}
The
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
Special Representative to the
South CaucasusThe South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Transcaucasus...
, Peter Semneby, also downplayed the forthcoming South Ossetian referendum and said in
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, on September 13, that the referendum would not contribute to the conflict resolution process in South Ossetia.
On the other hand, the head of the Institute of
CIS{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Infobox Geopolitical organisation|native_name = Commonwealth of Independent States...
Countries and the member of the Russian State Duma,
Konstantin ZatulinKonstantin Zatulin is a Russian politician, first deputy chairman of the committee of the State Duma for the CIS and relations with Russian nationals abroad....
, is quoted on October 2, 2006 as saying:
{{cquote|Recognition of the so-called unrecognized states is not far off. Unrecognized republics have all attributes of state system and stable democratic system.}}
On October 2, 2006, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
BelgianThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
Foreign Minister
Karel De GuchtKarel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht is the current European Commissioner from Belgium. Previously, he had been the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former chairman of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats , a Belgian political party...
said during his visit to Tbilisi:
{{cquote|I call the South Ossetian authorities’ intention to hold a referendum counterproductive. It will not be recognized by the international community and it will not be recognized by the OSCE and it will impede the peace process.}}
On November 11, 2006,
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
Secretary GeneralA number of international organizations, political parties, and other bodies use the title Secretary General or Secretary-General for their chief administrative officer.-International intergovernmental organizations:...
Jaap de Hoop SchefferJakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer is a Dutch politician and a former NATO Secretary General. De Hoop Scheffer served as the Dutch foreign minister, and was an important figure in the Dutch decision to participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
said in a statement:
{{cquote|On behalf of NATO, I join other international leaders in rejecting the so-called 'referendum' and 'elections' conducted in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali region of Georgia... Such actions serve no purpose other than to exacerbate tensions in the South Caucasus region.}}
On November 11, 2006, Luis Tascón, a member of the
National Assembly of VenezuelaThe National Assembly is the current legislative branch of the Venezuelan government. It is a unicameral body made up of 167 deputies , who are elected by "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote on a national party-list proportional representation system...
, stated during a press-conference in Tskhinvali:
{{cquote|Those people who wish to be free will be free. And the free peoples will help South Ossetia with it.}}
He also hinted that Venezuela might eventually recognize the South Ossetian independence:
{{cquote|Knowing president
ChávezHugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the President of Venezuela. As the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Chávez promotes a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation...
well, I'm sure he'll make a correct decision, since he always sees when the people choose their path. Unfortunately, my presence here does not imply that my government will recognize the South Ossetian independence, but it signifies the beginning of a process when it's time to think about this problem.}}
On November 11, 2006,
Sergei Fyodorov Sergejs Fjodorovs is a Latvian politician. He is a member of the Harmony Centre party and a deputy of the 9th Saeima . He began his current term in parliament on November 7, 2006.-External links:*...
, an observer and
Latvian ParliamentSaeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are held once every four years, on the first...
member of Russian nationality, stated during a press-conference in Tskhinvali:
{{cquote|All peoples have the right for self-determination, and it cannot be ignored.}}
He also made a commitment to inform the other members of the parliament of his observations.
On November 13, the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
foreign ministers and the OSCE reiterated that they will not recognize the referendum and condemned it as unproductive. An EU statement was later joined by
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
.