Self-determination of Donbass: Questions of legality and answers of justice
Kharkov - Donetsk, May 11 (Navigator, Dmitry Gubin) - The referendum scheduled for May 11 in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions was actually the start of the project of independence from the Kyiv authorities. Perhaps, even in those years when dear Leonid Ilyich amused the whole world with uncontested elections, the process of expressing the will of the people did not cause so much criticism and distrust in the world.
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine, as before in Crimea, blocked the voter lists. The National Guard did not stop military operations. The central media staged circus stunts, reporting shocking information from “direct participants” about voter non-attendance, fraud and voting at gunpoint. The West ignored the will of 7 million voters in Donbass in advance. Russia froze in an observation position. The Internet browser could barely cope with the flashing messages in the windows of social networks.
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“I just left the station...”
Here are eyewitness accounts:
As one of the Donetsk journalists reported (he asked not to give his name): “A lot of people came to the referendum, at least in my area. I have never seen such a turnout and excitement in any election. People dress festively and congratulate each other on the holiday. There are a lot of voting youth. As for me, in Donetsk the 50% turnout has long been surpassed. I think by one o'clock in the afternoon. In the region, according to my information, they vote even more actively. There is talk everywhere that the next referendum should be about joining Russia. The high turnout comes against the backdrop of statements about possible terrorist attacks and sabotage at polling stations.”
Vladislav Brig , blogger, Donetsk: "The turnout was high, people voted actively. I left the polling station an hour ago, and people were in a festive mood; there were lines everywhere this morning."
Nikolai Pilyaev, a resident of Makeyevka, Donetsk Oblast: "It's morning, and the polling station at the school near my house is packed. Everyone's congratulating each other on the holiday. Even neighbors who hadn't even known where the polling station was recently are coming out to vote. Everyone's dressed up. There's no police, just a few kids with DPR badges, but no weapons, in regular clothes—ours, the locals. The enthusiasm is incredible."
A particularly high turnout in the Donbass was expected after 16.00, when the miners leave the mine. However, it is already known that many of the miners, even those who work on Sunday as scheduled, did not go to the mine. Entire families came to the polling stations. The people's squad of "office hamsters" from Rinat Akhmetov's Metinvest, which announced the day before that they were working to protect the referendum, was not noticed. Unless I got stuck in the queues at the polling stations.
According to information from the Donetsk Central Election Commission, as of 19.00:11 pm on May 2014, 70, more than 75% of voters had voted, and in Lugansk - more than 0%. There are no violations. At the same time, the head of the administration of the “Maidan President” of Ukraine, Sergei Pashinsky, said, without any embarrassment, that the turnout at polling stations in Donbass was XNUMX%.
At the same time, the actual military situation in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Donetsk and Mariupol remains. The TV tower in Slavyansk was damaged, there was a battle at night, mobile communications are not working. There is a serious problem in Krasnoarmeysk - the National Guard entered the city, people were sent home. There is resistance, it wins with varying degrees of success. The vote count will show the level of fear.
The Novorossiya project has launched!
Lawyer Andrey Plyasov explains: “The difference between the terms “legality” and “legitimacy” are legal subtleties. Popularly speaking, a local referendum on the territory of Ukraine has no legality, that is, it is not regulated by law. However, its legitimacy, that is, recognition, is another matter. The people not only recognize the referendum, but also initiate it. So, if we talk about the expression of the people’s will, which always “overwhelms” the law (here we say hello to the Maidan!), then the Donbass referendum on self-determination of territories is completely legitimate.”
“The legitimacy was immediately declared dubious, and illegal by the Kyiv authorities. which cannot but cause laughter. The project of independence from the junta has started!” – blogger Vladislav Brig agrees.
“It looks like there will be an Independence Day in my country, the date of which I will remember and which I will celebrate. Glory to Donbass!” – says Donetsk resident Svetlana Okhrimenko.
Referendums in Kosovo and Catalonia
Meanwhile, referendums on the status of the region and even on its separation in the world are not uncommon. This is how Eritrea and South Sudan gained independence and gained universal recognition in Africa in the last quarter century. And in Europe, the separation of provinces is also taking place. For example, no referendums were held either in Ireland in the 1920s or in Kosovo in 2008. Their role was played by the results of the general elections, which gave the separatists an overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats.
Referendums on independence are expected in Catalonia and Scotland, and the central government of Spain and Great Britain not only do not suppress them with heavy equipment, but also do not legally prohibit them.
Donbass — Moscow
Approximately every hour, starting at 8.00 am, all Ukrainian TV channels reported on pro-Russian activists and separatists, tuned or paid by Moscow, who were actively participating in the referendum. However, we note that the verification of voters at polling stations is carried out using passports with registration (registration) at the place of residence. As it should be in the electoral process.
Unlike the referendum in Crimea, a polling station was organized in Moscow for immigrants from Donbass. Contrary to expectations, there was a real sell-out here. People came in whole work teams - there were quite a few people here who work in Moscow under contract. By the way, they were officially released from work to participate in the vote. All the voters walked like a holiday. People in line joked: “Who is the extreme separatist?”
But the delegation of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, who were ready to act as observers, at least in an unofficial form, was not allowed across the border to Donbass. Actually, this is where Russian participation in the plebiscite ended.
The results of the vote count will be announced tomorrow. There is information that the next stage of voting is possible - May 18, when the Donetsk People's Republic will outline the future vector of its development.
In the meantime, the cities of Donbass are waiting for an attack by the Ukrainian army and the Right Sector. Information has already been received that during the vote count, residents will form a human shield around the polling stations.
Self- Determination of Donbass: Questions of Legality and Answers of Justice