Voting at a referendum on the status of Crimea began • Grani.ru • RIMA

Voting at a referendum on the status of Crimea began

Military at the building of the Armed Forces of the Crimea. Photo: A. Stenin/RIA Novosti

Voting plots on a referendum on the status of Crimea and Sevastopol opened, RIA Novosti reports. Voting will last from 8:00 to 20:00 (from 10:00 to 20:00 in Moscow). 1.515 million inhabitants of Crimea and 305 thousand residents of Sevastopol were included in the voters lists. On the territory of Crimea there are 1205 polling stations, in Sevastopol - 192.

There is no threshold in a referendum. Voters receive ballots by presenting a passport with a residence permit. You can vote only at the place of registration, no absentee certificates are provided.

In the referendum ballots in three languages - Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar - two questions are printed: "Are you for the reunification of Crimea with Russia as a subject of the Russian Federation?" And "you are for the restoration of the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea 1992 and for the status of Crimea as part of Ukraine?"

Initially, a referendum in Crimea was planned to be held on May 25. Then it did not stipulate the option of joining the republic to Russia, and it was only about the status of Crimea in Ukraine. On March 16, the referendum was postponed at the initiative of Sergei Aksenov, appointed on February 27 by the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Crimea after the stake of the Verkhovna Rada of Autonomy by armed people in military uniform without identification marks.

Representatives of the Crimean Tatar community, the third largest ethnic group of Crimea, previously announced the intention to boycott the referendum.

On the eve of the UN Security Council, a resolution was discussed on the non -recognition of the results of the Crimean referendum introduced by the United States. The adoption of the resolution was blocked by Russia, which has the right veto in the Security Council. All the heads of states of the West stated the non -recognition of the referendum by the referendum. Also, the observers to the referendum the day before refused to send the OSCE.

In February, the authorities actually occurred in Ukraine - the Verkhovna Rada passed under the control of the opposition and removed from the power of President Viktor Yanukovych. Russia did not recognize the new authorities of Ukraine.