South Ossetian independence referendum, 2006

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A billboard in South Ossetia reading in Russian: "Their future depends on your choice".

The unrecognized republic of South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia with its capital in Tskhinvali, held a referendum on independence on November 12, 2006. The voters answered a question: "should South Ossetia preserve its present status of a de facto independent state?" 99% of voters supported independence.

This referendum followed a similar step in a similarly Russian-influenced region of Transnistria in Moldova. It coincided with de facto South Ossetian presidential elections, which took place on the same day.

Simultaneously, a South Ossetian opposition organization, the Salvation Union of Ossetians, which is believed to enjoy unofficial backing by Georgia and supports the federal union with Georgia, was holding alternative referendum and elections in the areas not controlled by the de facto authorities.

1 Background information
2 Political climate
3 Alternative elections and referendum
4 Reactions
5 Results
6 References

[edit] Background information

Detailed map of the former autonomous oblast of South Ossetia. The territory controlled by the Ossetian secessionist and central Georgian authorities, as well as the 15 km conflict zone around Tskhinvali, are shown.

Independence of South Ossetia is not recognized by any other international organization or country, who regard the region, formerly an autonomous oblast within the Georgian SSR, an integral part of the Georgian state. The previous independence referendum, held by the South Ossetian separatists on January 19, 1992, failed to gain any international recognition, since it occurred in the atmosphere of post-war chaos and violated the territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia recognized by the international community within the borders of the Georgian SSR.

[edit] Political climate

The South Ossetian Information and Press Committee announced that the residents of the Georgian villages, that are not controlled by the separatist authorities, will be able to participate ^[1]. Those choosing to do so were able to use ballots written in Georgian language^[2]. Terry Davis, Secretary General of the West's main election monitoring body, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which boycotted the poll, called the referendum counterproductive and said that the ethnic Georgians were not given the right to vote.^[3]^[4]

According to the de facto authorities, the referendum was monitored by a team of 34 international observers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden and other countries at 78 polling stations^[5]. The Ukrainian delegation was led by Nataliya Vitrenko of the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine. Venezuela was represented by Luis Tascón.

On October 31, 2006, there was an incident allegedly involving the Chechen militants which the seccessionst authorities claimed to have been an act of sabotage organized by Georgian secutiry services. Georgian officials dismissed the accusations and said that the incident could have connection with "internal conflicts in South Ossetia".^[6]

On November 2, 2006, the recently created South Ossetian organization Salvation Union of Ossetians, which manages the ongoing alternative elections, warned of anticipated provocations by the Kokoity's government on the eve of independence referendum and presidential polls. Vladimir Sanakoyev, one of the founders of the organization, said:

“

Provocations through terrorist acts on some of the polling stations are planned by the authorities in Tskhinvali in order to then point fingers at the Georgian authorities and to discredit the authorities in Tbilisi. I have this information from sources in Tskhinvali.

”

^[7]

On November 11, 2006, the South Ossetian State Security Committee exposed an alleged Georgian attempt to assassinate the South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity and organize a coup d'état in the region. Alan Parastayev, the former South Ossetian Interior Minister and Supreme Court chairman, has reportedly turned himself in to the State Security Committee and confessed to being a party to the plot. The South Ossetian authorities named Amiran Meskheli, the deputy head of the Georgian Interior Ministry’s Counterintelligence Department, to be in charge of the operation^[8]. The Georgian Interior Ministry denied South Ossetia's assertions.

On November 12, 2006, Georgia cut off the telephone communications with South Ossetia^[9] On the other hand, the de facto authorities blocked mobile communications in some areas where the alternative polling stations are located.^[10]

[edit] Alternative elections and referendum

Meanwhile, the South Ossetian opposition politicians, some of whom had left Tskhinvali due to a conflict with the de facto president Eduard Kokoity, set up an alternative Central Election Commission and nominated their candidates for presidency: Gogi Chigoyev, Teimuraz Djeragoyev, Tamar Charayeva, and Dmitri Sanakoyev, who served as defense minister and then as prime minister for several months in 2001 under Kokoity's predecessor, Ludwig Chibirov. Voters are also to answer a question: "do you agree with the renewal of talks with Georgia on a federal union." The alternative elections and referendum will be held in the villages with mixed Georgian-Ossetian population not controlled by the secessionist government.

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. ^[11] ^[12] ^[13]

[edit] Reactions

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 conflict zone. However, on September 12, 2006, the Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Boris Gryzlov 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." ^[14]

On September 13, 2006, the Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Terry Davis commented on the problem, stating that

“

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.

”

^[15]

The European Union Special Representative to the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, also downplayed the forthcoming South Ossetian referendum and said in Moscow, on September 13, that the referendum would not contribute to the conflict resolution process in South Ossetia. ^[16]

On the other hand, the head of the Institute of CIS Countries and the member of the Russian State Duma, Konstantin Zatulin, is quoted on October 2, 2006 as saying:

“

Recognition of the so-called unrecognized states is not far off. Unrecognized republics have all attributes of state system and stable democratic system.

”

^[17]

On October 2, 2006, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht said during his visit to Tbilisi:

“

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.

”

^[18]

On November 11, 2006, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a statement:

“

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.

”

^[19]

On November 11, 2006, Luis Tascón, a member of the National Assembly of Venezuela, stated during a press-conference in Tskhinvali:

“

Those people who wish to be free will be free. And the free peoples will help South Ossetia with it.

”

^[20]

He also hinted that Venezuela might eventually recognize the South Ossetian independence:

“

Knowing president Chávez 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.

”

^[21]

On November 11, 2006, Sergei Fyodorov, an observer and a member of the Latvian Parliament, stated during a press-conference in Tskhinvali:

“

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^[22].

Following the referendum, on November 13, 2006, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, said that the referendum in South Ossetia was "unnecessary, unhelpful, and unfair" and the results will not be recognized by the international community.^[23]

On November 13, the European Union foreign ministers and the OSCE reiterated that they will not recognize the referendum and condemned it as unproductive.^[24] An EU statement was later joined by Ukraine.^[25]

[edit] 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%.^[26]