2011 South Ossetian referendum

2011 South Ossetian referendum
13 November 2011
Do you agree Ossetian and Russian should be the national languages of South Ossetia?
Results
Choice
 Votes %
Yes 19,797 83.54%
No 3,902 16.46%
Valid votes 23,699 99.84%
Invalid or blank votes 38 0.16%
Total votes 23,737 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 23,737 100%
Politics of South Ossetia
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Parliament of South Ossetia
Chairman
Alan Tadtaev
Political parties
Elections
Administrative divisions
  • First level: Four Raions
  • Second level: Towns / cities
Foreign relations
Diplomatic missions of / in South Ossetia

A referendum on making Ossetian and Russian official languages was held in South Ossetia on 13 November 2011,[1] alongside presidential elections. The referendum was originally scheduled for 11 September 2011,[2] but on 12 August the decision was made to postpone it.

Prior to the referendum the first section of the fourth article of the constitution states that Ossetian is the national language in South Ossetia, while the second section states that Russian (together with Ossetian and, in certain cases, Georgian) is the official language of government bodies, state administration and local self-government.[3]

  1. ^ "Decree to postpone a vote on the referendum in the Republic of South Ossetia" (in Russian). Official website of the President of South Ossetia. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Decree on holding a referendum in the Republic of South Ossetia" (in Russian). Tskhinvali: Official website of the President of South Ossetia. 27 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  3. ^ Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia Archived 14 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian) on the official website of the President of South Ossetia