An
independence referendum was held in
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...
on 10 December 1991.
[Berg-Karabach (Aserbeidschan), 10. Dezember 1991 : Unabhängigkeit]
Direct Democracy It was approved by 99.98% of voters.
[
The referendum was conducted according to the "Temporary Regulation on the Conduct of a Referendum in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic" that came into force on 27 November 1991 during the session of the Nagorno Karabakh Council of People's Deputies. Trilingual ballot papers (in Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian) were sent to all parts of Nagorno Karabakh, including the ]Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
i-populated settlements, with a question: "Do you agree that the proclaimed Nagorno Karabakh Republic be a sovereign state
A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined ter ...
, to independently determine the forms of cooperation with other states and communities?". It would be considered a pass if at least the two-third of voters with a turnout of at least 50% voted for it. From 132,328 citizens eligible to vote, 108,736 citizens or 82,2% of the registered voters took part in the referendum, with 108,615 people (99,89%) voting "for" the independence, 24 (0,02%) voting "no" and 97 ballot papers considered invalid. The referendum was boycotted by the region's Azerbaijani population, which then constituted 20% of the entire population. A group of independent observers following the course of the referendum presented their conclusion in the act on the results of the referendum. The voting process was covered by reporters from Russia and France, and a number of other periodicals and agencies, as well as TV channels of Russia, the United States and Bulgaria. On the day of the referendum, Stepanakert, and other Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...
n settlements, came under fire with 10 civilian deaths 11 wounded reported.
Neither the 1991 referendum nor the one that followed in 2006 were recognised as legitimate abroad. Nagorno-Karabakh continued to be internationally considered as ''de jure'' part of Azerbaijan.
Results
See also
* 2006 Nagorno-Karabakh constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the unrecognised republic of Nagorno-Karabakh on 10 December 2006 to approve a draft constitution, which defined Nagorno-Karabakh as a sovereign state. Azerbaijan condemned the referendum, saying it is a ...
References
{{Soviet independence referendums
1991 in Azerbaijan
1991 in the Soviet Union
1991 in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
1991 referendums
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Independence referendums
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
Referendums in the Soviet Union
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast