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Commonwealth is a term used by two unincorporated territories of the United States in their full official names, which are the Northern Mariana Islands, whose full name is Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico, which is named Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in English and Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico in Spanish, translating to "Free Associated State of Puerto Rico." The term was also used by the Philippines during most of its period under U.S. sovereignty, when it was officially called the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to obtain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1898 and since then from the United States.
This is a list of referendums related to the European Union, or referendums related to the European Communities, which were predecessors of the European Union. Since 1972, a total of 48 referendums have been held by EU member states, candidate states, and their territories, with several additional referendums held in countries outside the EU. The referendums have been held most commonly on the subject of whether to become a member of European Union as part of the accession process, although the EU does not require any candidate country to hold a referendum to approve membership or as part of treaty ratification. Other EU-related referendums have been held on the adoption of the euro and on participation in other EU-related policies.
General elections were held in Papua New Guinea between 18 June and 9 July 1977, the first since independence from Australia in 1975. The Pangu Party led by Prime Minister Michael Somare emerged as the largest in the National Parliament. Somare subsequently formed a coalition government with the People's Progress Party (PPP) and several independent MPs. Voter turnout was 60.3%.
A referendum on the future of the Soviet Union was held on 17 March 1991 across the Soviet Union. It was the only national referendum in the history of the Soviet Union, although it was boycotted by authorities in six of the fifteen Soviet republics.
The Puerto Rico statehood movement aims to make Puerto Rico a state of the United States. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territorial possession of the United States acquired in 1898 following the Spanish–American War, making it "the oldest colony in the modern world". As of 2019, the population of Puerto Rico is 3.2 million, around half the average state population and higher than that of 20 U.S. states. Competing options for the future political status of Puerto Rico include maintaining its current status, becoming fully independent, or becoming a freely associated state. Puerto Rico has held six referendums on the topic. These are non-binding, as the power to grant statehood lies with the US Congress. The most recent referendum was in November 2020, with a majority (52.52%) of those who voted opting for statehood.
General elections were held in Zambia on 5 December 1973. They were the first elections held since the country was formally declared a one-party state in August, with the United National Independence Party (UNIP) as the only legally permitted party. UNIP leader Kenneth Kaunda was automatically elected to a third five-year term as President, and was confirmed in office via a referendum in which 88.8% of voters approved his candidacy. UNIP also won all 125 seats in the National Assembly. Voter turnout was 39% of the 1,746,107 registered voters for the presidential election, and 33% for the National Assembly election.
Presidential elections were held in Syria on 10 July 1953. There was only one candidate, Adib Shishakli, with voters asked to approve or reject his candidacy. A reported 99.7% of voters voted in favour, with a turnout of 86.8%.
Presidential elections were held in Syria on 8 February 1978. There was only one candidate, Hafez al-Assad, with voters asked to approve or reject his candidacy. A reported 99.9% of voters voted in favour, with a turnout of 97%.
Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on 21 June 1992, the first since independence. The sole candidate was Saparmurat Niyazov, who had served as the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR since 21 December 1985. Other candidates were not allowed to participate in the elections.
A referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 10 February 1983. Voters were asked three questions:
- Whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States
- Whether they approved of an agreement which placed restrictions on the USA with regard to storing and using radioactive, chemical and biological materials in Palau
- What their preference for a future political status was if the Free Association was rejected. They were offered the choice of either "a relationship with the United States closer than Free Association" or independence.
A second referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 4 September 1984, after the previous referendum had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked two questions:
- Whether they approved of the proposed Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States
- What their preference for a future political status was if the Free Association was rejected. They were offered the choice of a closer relationship than Trusteeship, or independence.
A fourth referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 2 December 1986, after the previous three referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 66.0% of voters, with a turnout of 82.0%.
A sixth referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 21 August 1987, after the previous five referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 73.0% of voters, with a turnout of 74.7%.
An eighth referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 9 November 1993, after the previous seven referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 68.4% of voters, with a turnout of 64.4%. This time the referendum was passed, due to the constitutional amendment approved in a referendum the previous year that had lowered the threshold to a 50% majority.
An independence referendum was held in the Mongolian People's Republic on 20 October 1945. It was approved by 100% of voters, with no votes against, according to official statistics. Voter turnout was 98.5%.
A referendum on the status of the island was held in Puerto Rico on 14 November 1993. Voters were given the choice between being a Commonwealth, statehood or independence. A plurality of voters voted for Commonwealth status, with a voter turnout of 73.5%.
A referendum on the political status of Puerto Rico was held on December 13, 1998. Voters were given the choice between statehood, independence, free association, being a territorial commonwealth, or none of the given options. A majority voted for the latter, with a turnout of 71.3%.
A referendum on convening a Constituent Assembly was held in Venezuela on 25 April 1999. Voters were asked two questions;
- Should a Constituent Assembly be convened?
- Do you agree with the President's suggestion of how the Assembly should be elected?
Three main alternatives are generally presented to Puerto Rican voters during a Puerto Rico political status plebiscite: full independence, maintenance or enhancement of the current commonwealth status, and full statehood into the American Union. The exact expectations for each of these status formulas are a matter of debate by a given position's adherents and detractors. Puerto Ricans have proposed positions that modify the three alternatives above, such as (a) indemnified independence with phased-out US subsidy, (b) expanded political but not fiscal autonomy, and (c) statehood with a gradual phasing out of federal tax exemption.
References
- ↑ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p639 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
- ↑ Nohlen et al., p693
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