From BarentsObserver.com: http://www.barentsobserver.com/index.php?id=4450525&cat=16149&xforceredir=1&noredir=1
In the course of the last 1,5 month, the population in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug has made two unsuccessful attempts to organise a regional referendum on the disputed merger with the neighbouring Arkhangelsk Oblast. Now, a third request has been handed in to the regional election committee.
According to head of the regional election committee, Vera Kuznetsova, both former requests to hold a referendum have turned down because of insufficient documentation. The third application handed in on 9 January will be assessed in the course of 15 days.
According to Ms. Kuznetsova, the request to organise a referendum will be approved without problems if the referendum questions are clearly formulated.
However, sceptics believe the population of the Nenets AO will not in any case be to get their will in the referendum issue. According to member of the Arkhangelsk regional parliament, Konstantin Zhuravlev, the Nenets AO fight for independence is both “remarkable and respectable”. However, he is confident that the efforts will not succeed, Regnum reports.