KHERSON, July 23. /TASS/. A seven-member election committee to conduct a referendum on acceding to Russia is being created in the Kherson Region, the press service of the region’s military-civilian administration said on Saturday.
“According to the July 22, 2022 decree by the head of the Kherson Region’s military-civilian administration, an election committee of the Kherson Region is being created numbering seven members with a three-year term of tenure and nominations are being accepted,” the statement said. It is specified that the committee is being formed also for holding a referendum on the Kherson Region joining Russia.
The press service stressed that the residents of the liberated Kherson Region have the right to express their opinion on the future of the region. “According to global practice, [the Kherson Region] will establish this through elections and referendums,” the statement noted.
The nominations for the election committee can be made by civic groups and other organizations.
The Kherson Region is in southern Ukraine bordering the Republic of Crimea. In mid-March, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that the region was fully controlled by Russian troops. A military-civilian administration was formed in the region in late April. The region’s authorities also indicated their desire to accede to Russia, TASS reports
Kherson Region expects to join Russia by year end, senior official said earlier in May.
Decree signed to create election committee for referendum in another region, Zaporozhye, according to TASS.
A decree to create an election committee to conduct a referendum on joining Russia has been signed in the Zaporozhye Region, head of the region’s military-civilian administration Yevgeny Balitsky wrote on his Telegram channel.
“In the fall, on the initiative of the residents of the Zaporozhye Region, the referendum on the issue of our region joining Russia will be held. Currently, we are conducting preparatory work, at several spheres at once, including the legislative one. In order for the referendum procedure to be transparent and legitimate and to protect the electoral rights of citizens I signed a decree on creating the electoral committee of the Zaporozhye Region,” he wrote.
According to the official, the local residents can help organizing and holding the referendum. A process of forming a list of candidates to be included in the election committee has been launched.
To date, about 70% of the Zaporozhye Region’s territory have been liberated, while the Kiev regime continues to control the region’s administrative center, the city of Zaporozhye, with Melitopol currently fulfilling its functions, TASS reports.