French Guiana status referendum, 2010
Encyclopedia
A referendum on a proposal
to increase autonomy
for French Guiana
was held on Sunday, January 10, 2010.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
proposed the referendum after visiting the Caribbean
island of Martinique
in June 2009. The French overseas departments of Martinique
and Guadeloupe
had suffered prolonged general strikes
in early 2009, due to low wages and standards of living.
French Guinanan voters were asked whether they wanted to more power to be given to the local government based in Cayenne
. If passed, French Guiana would have been granted more autonomy, similar to New Caledonia
in the Pacific Ocean.
Voters in French Guiana ultimaley rejected the autonomy referendum by a wide margin of 69.8%. The referendum had a voter turnout of 48%.
Proposal (business)
A business proposal is a written offer from a seller to a prospective buyer.Business proposals are often a key step in the complex sales process—i.e., whenever a buyer considers more than price in a purchase.-Overview:...
to increase autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
for French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
was held on Sunday, January 10, 2010.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
proposed the referendum after visiting the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
island of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
in June 2009. The French overseas departments of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
and Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
had suffered prolonged general strikes
2009 French Caribbean general strikes
The 2009 French Caribbean general strikes began in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe on 20 January 2009, and spread to neighbouring Martinique on 5 February 2009. Both islands are located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean...
in early 2009, due to low wages and standards of living.
French Guinanan voters were asked whether they wanted to more power to be given to the local government based in Cayenne
Cayenne
Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth"...
. If passed, French Guiana would have been granted more autonomy, similar to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
in the Pacific Ocean.
Voters in French Guiana ultimaley rejected the autonomy referendum by a wide margin of 69.8%. The referendum had a voter turnout of 48%.