Paper Title
The Power Of Referendum In The Context Of Self-Determination

Abstract
The context of a sovereignty referendum is associated with the subject of self-determination in international law. Sovereignty referenda are usually held when a group of people claim secession from their mother state and exercise their right of self-determination. The problem with international law is that it does not provide aclear and certain answer regarding the legally binding nature of such referendaas part of secession movements.It may be argued that these questions are political rather than legal in nature. However, the notion of the sovereignty referendumhascome to be considered a prominent issue from both legal and political perspectives.History has revealed that such a referendum mightlead to claimants achieving the right of self-determination. It may also lead to nation building and state creation, but that does not mean it will have an absolute impact in all cases. Keywords- Referendum, Statehood, Secession, Self-determination, Independence.