South Ossetian president suspends decree on referendum

South Ossetian President Alan Gagloyev has suspended a decree of his predecessor Anatoly Bibilov that ordered a referendum on joining Russia, according to a decree released on the presidential website.

"Guided by Article 51 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia, part 2 of Article 12 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of South Ossetia dated December 27, 2018, <…> fully supporting the initiative of the citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia on further integration of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation, I hereby order holding immediate consultations with the Russian side on the whole range of issues related to further integration of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation, <...> until the completion of consultations, suspending the decree of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia dated May 13, 2022 ‘On a referendum of the Republic of South Ossetia,’" the decree said.