A nationwide referendum held in Crimea is, of course, a historical event. Moreover, by no means unique, referendums on independence or reassignment of the territory were held in different parts of the world.
Today we present Top 5 referenda on independence. It includes already held popular vote, but in the near future the list could be replenished with referenda on the separation of the Italian region of Veneto, Spanish Catalonia, as well as Scotland.
5. Referendum on the independence of East Timor (1999)
78.5% of the population supported the independence from Indonesia. The vote was accompanied by an outbreak of violence, as a result of the clashes, including several UN observers.
The formal declaration of the sovereignty of East Timor took place 3 years after the referendum on May 20, 2002.
4. Referendum on the independence of Montenegro (2006)
The referendum raised the issue of Montenegro's withdrawal from the state union with Serbia. The turnout at the polls was almost 87%. At the same time, 55.5% of the votes were cast for independence. The results were recognized by the UN, EU, Russia, USA and China. The results of the referendum are still controversial, as the threshold of 55% needed to make a decision was exceeded by only 0.5% or 2,000 votes.
3. Referendums on the independence of Quebec (1980, 1995)
In the Canadian province there is constant debate about the feasibility of gaining independence. According to the results of the first referendum, 40.44% of the population supported the secession, according to the results of the second - 49.42%.
The main reason for the separatist sentiment is that Quebec is a traditionally French-speaking province, unlike the rest of the English-speaking part of Canada.
2. The referendum on the independence of Transnistria (2006)
The referendum was not recognized as legitimate by Ukraine, the EU, the OSCE, Moldova, the Council of Europe and the United States. Nevertheless, 97% of Transnistrians supported the independence of the region. The population of the region is Moldovans, Ukrainians and Russians, and the ratio of nationalities is almost the same.
Despite all the efforts of the Russian Federation and the international community, the situation on the territory of the unrecognized republic remains tense. In March 2014, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic, Mikhail Burla, spoke in favor of the entry of Transnistria into the territory of Russia.
1. Referendum on the independence of South Ossetia (1992)
The popular vote was the result of a protracted Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. The initial goal of the territory was to increase its own status as part of Georgia, but the initiative did not find understanding.
As a result, on January 3, 1992, more than 99% of the referendum participants supported the independence of South Ossetia with the prospect of joining Russia.
Today, South Ossetia is recognized as an independent state by Russia, Nicaragua, Tuvalu, Venezuela and Nauru.
