Curaçao status referendum, 2005

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A status referendum was held on the island of Curaçao on 8 April 2005. [1] The option of becoming an autonomous area within the Kingdom of the Netherlands was approved by 68% of voters. [2]

Curaçao island country in the Caribbean, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Curaçao is a Lesser Antilles island in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about 65 km (40 mi) north of the Venezuelan coast. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Kingdom of the Netherlands Sovereign state in Europe and the Caribbean

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, commonly known as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with the large majority of its territory in Western Europe and with several small island territories in the Caribbean Sea, in the West Indies islands.

Contents

Background

After the 1993 referendum failed to show support for a separate status for Curaçao, the government of the Netherlands Antilles tried to restructure the Netherlands Antilles and attempted to forge closer ties between the islands, as is exemplified by the adoption of an anthem of the Netherlands Antilles in 2000. A new referendum on Sint Maarten, which was in favour of a separate status for Sint Maarten as a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, sparked a new series of referendums across the Netherlands Antilles, however. Curaçao was the last island to vote.

Netherlands Antilles Former Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The country consisted of several island territories located in the Caribbean Sea. The islands were also informally known as the Dutch Antilles. The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies, and was dissolved in 2010. The former Dutch colony of Surinam, although it was relatively close by on the continent of South America, did not become part of Netherlands Antilles but became a separate autonomous country in 1954. All the island territories that belonged to the Netherlands Antilles remain part of the kingdom today, although the legal status of each differs. As a group they are still commonly called the Dutch Caribbean, regardless of their legal status.

Results

ChoiceVotes%
Autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands42,42567.82
Integration into the Netherlands14,76925.73
Independence3,0144.81
Remain part of the Netherlands Antilles2,3243.74
Invalid/blank votes474
Total63,024100
Registered voters/turnout114,50055.04
Source: Direct Democracy

See also

Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010.

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References

  1. van den Berg, Stephanie (2005-04-11). "Curacao votes for more autonomy". Caribbean Net News. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
  2. Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles), 8 April 2005: Status Direct Democracy (in German)