South Ossetia Braced for New Referendum

At first glance, nothing suggests that South Ossetia is gearing up for a big voting day.



In the streets of the capital Tskhinval, there are few posters urging the population to take part in the November 12 referendum on independence, and no placards or leaflets singing the praises of candidates contesting the presidential ballot on the same day.



“Do you want the republic of South Ossetia to preserve its current status as an independent state and be recognised by the international community?”, is the question the population of this unrecognised republic will face in the referendum.



It will be South Ossetia's second plebiscite since it seceded de facto from Georgia in 1990. The first - which the world community did not recognise - took place in January 1992, when 98 per cent of those who voted opted for independence.



The only places abuzz with activity are passport offices. Local residents have been allowed to apply for South Ossetian papers since August 15 and only those possessing the latter will be allowed to vote.



As a result, although most South Ossetians hold Russian passports, they have been standing in long queues to become citizens of their own republic. Officials say 40,000 have been given new papers.



The new provisions exempt a group of Georgian villages - Kekhvi, Tamarasheni, Kurta and Achabeti - in South Ossetia, who do not want to give up their Georgian citizenship.



South Ossetians do not expect the international community to recognise the results of the referendum, but argue that it is important to proclaim in public their wish to see South Ossetia as an independent state, separate from Georgia.



Misha Sanakoyev, a third-year student at the technological faculty of the South Ossetian State University, has already received his passport. “Now I feel a citizen of South Ossetia with all the corresponding rights and obligations,” he said. “I’m sure things will change for the better. The referendum should take place by all means, and people should have their say.”



Twenty-six-year-old Maia Gigolayeva agrees. “Getting passports and having a referendum enables our state and each individual person to make progress,” she said. “A lot has changed here in recent years, which is why we need a new referendum.”



There is no doubt as to what will be the result of the referendum - a resounding “yes” to independence - or as to who will win the presidential poll.



There are four candidates for the presidency, but only one of them - the current head of the republic Eduard Kokoity - has a chance of winning.



The three others are Oleg Gabodze, who is temporarily unemployed; Inal Pukhayev, chief of the Tskhinval region’s administration; and Leonid Tibilov, head of the South Ossetian group within the Joint Control Commission, which coordinates the long-running negotiations with Tbilisi.



A local political analyst, who did not want to be named, told IWPR, “It’s a pity that Kokoity has no proper opponents. I think there are such people here. All the other candidates can hardly rival him, and are all members of his team.”



An activist in the non-governmental sector agreed, saying, “November 12 can be regarded as the day of Kokoity’s second inauguration.”



Some politicians in South Ossetia see the new referendum initiative as a campaign ploy by Kokoity, saying he is trying to win popularity and boost turnout in the presidential poll.



Roland Kelekhsayev, leader of the People’s Party of South Ossetia, argued that only the 1992 poll should be considered a true reflection of the people’s will.



“The current attempt to hold a referendum is nothing but a PR stunt by the current authorities” he said, concerned that the previous vote might now look illegitimate. “This referendum will be detrimental to the people of South Ossetia, as it will cast doubt on the results of the previous poll held in 1992.”



Kokoity himself has called the referendum “a unique historical opportunity for the younger generation to show its will”.



Georgia’s foreign ministry said the planned referendum was “devoid of legitimacy and directed against the peace process”. It also regretted “the open support of the referendum from high-ranking Russian political figures”.



Several Russian parliamentary deputies have already expressed readiness to be observers at the plebiscite. “Tbilisi’s policy is pushing the people of South Ossetia to hold this referendum,” said the speaker of the Russian State Duma, Boris Gryzlov. “This is their right, and if they want to hold it, they will.”



Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Georgia should not fear the poll. “The right to self-determination is part of international law, and it is through expression of the popular will that the right is exercised,” he said. “Russia was not afraid to raise the issue of a referendum in Chechnya, and it did take place.”



President Vladimir Putin also cited the referendum in Chechnya on whether it should be part of Russia held in 2003. The result went heavily in favour of Chechnya being part of Russia - but there were no international monitors present at the poll.



As on that occasion, international organisations are refusing to recognise the vote. Karel de Gucht, OSCE chairman-in-office and foreign minister of Belgium, said in Tbilisi in September that it was “unproductive to conduct a referendum in South Ossetia”.



“Its results will be recognised neither by the world community, nor by international organisations, in particular OSCE,” he said.



Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe, described the vote as a waste of time. “I don’t think that anyone will recognise its results,” he said.



Yuri Morozov, South Ossetia’s prime minister, responded, “We are holding a referendum not for the OSCE or Council of Europe. The will of people is not a gift. The people of South Ossetia has paid a huge price for the right to have its own future.”



Irina Kelekhsayeva is a freelance journalist in South Ossetia.