The referendum on the independence of the Republic of South Ossetia and reunification with Russia was the important political and legal step in the formation of the statehood of the Republic of South Ossetia. This was told in a commentary to IA "Res" by the deputy of the Parliament of the first convocation, the former head of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Candidate of History Murat Dzhioev.
He has shared the background of the referendum.
"In September 1990, against the backdrop of Georgia's aggression against the autonomy of South Ossetia, as a step to protect the South Ossetian people, their identity, the then regional council of South Ossetia decided to raise the status of the autonomous region to the Republic. But this was still part of the Soviet Union. On December 9 of the same year, the first elections to the Supreme Council of the Republic of South Ossetia took place. But since the Soviet Union still existed and the work was underway to create a renewed Union, to sign a renewed Union Treaty, all the efforts of the South Ossetian leadership were aimed at preserving the Republic as part of a single Soviet Union as the independent region," Dzhioev said.
When the Soviet Union finally ceased to exist in December 1991, on the very second day the Parliament of the Republic of South Ossetia adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Republic.
"That is, we did not run ahead, did not leave the Soviet Union while it existed, and were not late in declaring our independence. But this was a Declaration that still had to be secured by the opinion of the people of South Ossetia, so a referendum was scheduled for January 19, 1992," Dzhioev has noted.
A special commission was created to conduct the referendum, headed by the Parliament member Yuri Dzitsoty, and preparations for the referendum began.
"The vote took place on January 19. It was a cold, very snowy day. I was a Member of Parliament at the time, and we all called on the population in our districts to actively participate in the voting. And people were even surprised that we were coming to them to campaign, because everyone was ready to voting. The referendum was held with great enthusiasm of the people. Although, I repeat, it was a cold day. The results were counted by the light of kerosene lamps and candles,” the ex-deputy has recalled.
Two questions were put to the referendum. These were the questions of independence of the Republic of South Ossetia and the reunification of the Republic of South Ossetia with the Russian Federation.
“The people expressed their opinion on each of these questions. More than 99% said “yes” to both the first and second questions. That is, the referendum was held with great activity and with a positive result. Since the opinion of the people had already been expressed, it still had to be legally secured. Therefore, the results of the referendum were formalized legally, by the Act of Declaration of Independence of the Republic of South Ossetia, which was adopted on May 29, 1992 by the Supreme Council of the Republic of South Ossetia. Thus, a period was put in the legal formalization of the statehood of the Republic of South Ossetia. That is, all the necessary steps for the formation of the state were taken by us and were carried out in accordance with international law. Therefore, our state is the result of the expression of the will of the people of South Ossetia.
January 19 entered the history of South Ossetia as one of the important days when a fateful decision was made for the people and the state. I congratulate everyone on this day and the Epiphany of the Lord. May God grant that people of South Ossetia meet all the holidays in peace with good and happiness," Dzhioev wished.
He concluded that as a result of the referendum, the people of South Ossetia voted for an independent Republic and its rapprochement with the Russian Federation, "and our independent state continues to follow this path today. That is, on the one hand, we are strengthening our state and on the other hand, we are developing comprehensive strategic relations with the Russian Federation.”
