Independence referendum
Encyclopedia
An independence referendum is a type of referendum
in which the citizens of a territory decide whether the territory should become an independent
country
. The independence referendum is considered successful if the citizens vote in favor of independence or unsuccessful if they do not. A successful independence referendum may or may not result in independence, depending on whether relevant political factors outside of the territory recognize the results.
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
in which the citizens of a territory decide whether the territory should become an independent
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
. The independence referendum is considered successful if the citizens vote in favor of independence or unsuccessful if they do not. A successful independence referendum may or may not result in independence, depending on whether relevant political factors outside of the territory recognize the results.
1933
- Western Australian referendumWestern Australian secession referendum, 1933A referendum was held on 8 April 1933 in the Australian state of Western Australia on the topic of withdrawing from the Federal Commonwealth...
to become a Dominion within the British Empire, British parliament declined to act on the results.
1944
- Icelandic constitutional referendum, 1944 - led to independence from Denmark on 17 June 1944
1946
- 1946 Faroese referendumFaroese independence referendum, 1946An independence referendum was held in the Faroe Islands on 14 September 1946. The result was 48.7% in favor to 47.2% against. 481 votes or 4.1% were blank or invalid...
- after this referendum, the Faroe Islands declared independence on 18 September 1946; however, this declaration was annulled by Denmark.
1958
- In the referendum on September 28, 1958, GuineaGuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
opted for immediate independence from France, and the independence was proclaimed on October 2, 1958.
1990
- 1990 Slovenian independence referendumSlovenian independence referendum, 1990The Slovenian independence referendum about the Slovenian independence from Yugoslavia was held on December 23, 1990. It was summoned by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, then a federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, led to independence of SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. - In TatarstanTatarstanThe Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
the TatarsTatarsTatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
declared independence on 30 August 1990; however, this declaration was annulled by Russia.
1991
- 1991 Croatian independence referendumCroatian independence referendum, 1991An independence referendum was held in Croatia on 19 May 1991. The result was 95.7% in favour, with a turnout of 83.6%.-Background:The Croatian parliament made the decision to hold the referendum on 2 May.-Results:-Aftermath:...
, led to independence of CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. - 1991 Macedonian independence referendumMacedonian independence referendum, 1991The Macedonian Independence Referendum was held on September 8, 1991 and led to independence of Macedonia from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.The question on the referendum was:1...
, led to independence of the Republic of MacedoniaRepublic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. - 1991 Ukraine independence referendumUkrainian independence referendum, 1991A referendum on the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine took place in Ukraine on December 1, 1991. The only question of the referendum was: "Do you support the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine?" – with the text of the Declaration as a preamble to the question...
, led to independence of UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. - Georgian independence referendum, 1991Georgian independence referendum, 1991An independence referendum was held in Georgia on 31 March 1991. It was approved by 99.5% of voters.-Background:The referendum was sanctioned by the Georgian Supreme Council which was elected in the first multi-party elections held in Soviet Georgia in October 1990, and was dominated by a...
, led to independence of GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. - Transnistrian referendum, 1991Transnistrian referendum, 1991The 1991 referendum in Transnistria took place in Transnistria on 1 December 1991. On that date, Transnistria voted to continue its de facto independence and seek international recognition as a separate, sovereign country and member of the international community.97.7% of those who came to the...
, led to de-facto independence of TransnistriaTransnistriaTransnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
.
1992
- 1992 Bosnian independence referendumHistory of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Pre-Slavic Period :Bosnia has been inhabited at least since Neolithic times. In the late Bronze Age, the Neolithic population was replaced by more warlike Indo-European tribes known as the Illyrians. Celtic migrations in the 4th and 3rd century BCE displaced many Illyrian tribes from their former...
, led to independence of Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and to Bosnian warBosnian WarThe Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
. - South Ossetian independence referendum, 1992, led to de-facto independence of South OssetiaSouth OssetiaSouth Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
.
1993
- Eritrean independence referendum, 1993History of EritreaEritrea is an ancient name, associated in the past with its Greek form Erythraía , and its derived Latin form Erythræa. This name relates to that of the Red Sea, then called the Erythræan Sea, from the Greek for "red", ἐρυθρος). The Italians created the colony of Eritrea in the 19th century around...
, led to independence of EritreaEritreaEritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
.
1994
- Moldovan referendum, 1994 - the issue was whether Moldova should retain its independent status.
1999
- 1999 East Timor referendumHistory of East TimorEast Timor is a small country in Southeast Asia, officially known as Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The country comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor and the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco. The first inhabitants are thought to be descendant of Australoid and Melanesian peoples...
, UN organised referendum led eventually to acceptance of East TimorEast TimorThe Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
independence.
2005
- Kurdistan Independence Referendum 2005Kurdistan Independence Referendum 2005The Kurdistan Independence referendum of January 2005 that was conducted by the Kurdistan Referendum Movement alongside the Iraqi parliamentary elections and Iraqi Kurdistan elections of 2005, was an informal referendum asking the people of Iraqi Kurdistan whether they favor remaining a part of...
, a non-binding referendum that favored independence by 98.8%
2006
- Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro that was held on 21 May 2006.The total turnout of the referendum was 86.5%...
, a successful independence referendum that reestablished the independent country of MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. - South Ossetian independence referendum, 2006South Ossetian independence referendum, 2006South Ossetia, an independent partially recognized republic in the South Caucasus, formerly the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic with its capital in Tskhinvali, held a referendum on independence on November 12, 2006...
- the issue was whether South Ossetia should retain its de-facto independent status. - Transnistrian referendum, 2006Transnistrian referendum, 2006The 2006 referendum in Transnistria took place in Transnistria on 17 September 2006. On that date, Transnistria voted to continue its de facto independence and seek closer ties with Russia.- Political climate :...
- the issue was whether Transnistria should retain its de-facto independent status.
2009
- Tamil EelamTamil EelamTamil Eelam , is the name given by certain Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora to the independent state which they aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Tamil Eelam has no official status or recognition by any other state or authority...
: referendums have been held within Sri Lankan Tamil diasporaSri Lankan Tamil diasporaThe Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora refers to the global diaspora of the people of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger Sri Lankan as well as Tamil diaspora....
communities in NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. There was overwhelming support. - PadaniaPadaniaPadania is an alternative name for the Po Valley in Italy. The term was sparingly used until the early 1990s, when Lega Nord, a political party in Italy, proposed Padania as a possible denomination for an autonomous Northern Italy...
: A simulation referendum was held, in which 45% favored independence.
2011
- Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation...
, held in January. 98.83% voted in favour of independence.
Former unsuccessful independence referendums
- 1967, 1993, 1998 Puerto Rico status referendums, unsuccessful.
- Quebec independence referendum, 1980, unsuccessful.
- Montenegrin independence referendum, 1992Montenegrin independence referendum, 1992The Montenegrin independence referendum of 1992 was the first independence referendum for Montenegrin independence. 421,549 citizens were registered voters.- Campaign :...
, unsuccessful. - Quebec independence referendum, 1995, unsuccessful.
- Bermudan independence referendum, 1995, unsuccessful.
- Nevis independence referendum, 1998Nevis independence referendum, 1998An independence referendum was held in Nevis on 10 August 1998. The independence referendum failed to pass. Although the majority of voters chose independence, a two-thirds majority was necessary for the referendum to succeed...
, unsuccessful. - West Papuan independence referendum, 1969, unsuccessful, flawed.
Expected independence referendums
- BougainvilleBougainville ProvinceThe Autonomous Region of Bougainville, previously known as North Solomons, is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island , and the province also includes the island of Buka and assorted outlying islands including the Carterets...
independence referendum (envisioned by Peace Agreement from 2000 to be held between 2015 and 2020) - New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew 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...
independence referendum (expectedNouméa AccordThe Nouméa Accord of 1998 promises to grant political power to New Caledonia and its original population, the Kanaks, until the territory decides whether to remain within the French Republic or become an independent state in a referendum to be held between 2014 and 2019...
between 2014 and 2019) - Scottish independenceScottish independenceScottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
referendum expected by the end of the current term.
Plausible future referendums
- CataloniaCataloniaCatalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
- Catalonia's Vice President Carod-RoviraJosep-Lluís Carod-RoviraJosep-Lluís Carod-Rovira was the Vice-president of the Catalan Government from 2006 to 2010. From 1996 to 2008 he was the leader of ERC Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ....
proposed a referendum around 2014. Several Catalan independentist groups also promote a referendum in 2014 or even earlier. Since Spain forbids an independence referendum, many mayors and city councilors and groups of the Catalan civil society also promoted a non-binding referendum, that took place in many municipalities. - QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
- Given the results of the 2008 Quebec election, the likelihood of another referendum in Quebec has remained stable. The sovereignist Parti QuébécoisParti QuébécoisThe Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
finished second behind a federalist party, regaining official opposition status momentarily lost in the 2007 Quebec electionQuebec general election, 2007The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
. - Western SaharaWestern SaharaWestern Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
independence referendum (proposed by Baker PlanBaker PlanThe Baker Plan is a United Nations initiative to grant self-determination to Western Sahara...
) - Republika SrpskaRepublika SrpskaRepublika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
- The Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Milorad DodikMilorad DodikMilorad Dodik , is the President of Republika Srpska, and the president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats political party. He graduated from the Belgrade University of Political Sciences .-Political career:...
brought the idea of an independence referendum for RS into public debate when MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
seceded from the union with SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
in an independence referendumMontenegrin independence referendum, 2006The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro that was held on 21 May 2006.The total turnout of the referendum was 86.5%...
on May 21, 2006. In an interview published in the Serbian media, Dodik said a referendum on independence for RS was a fair solution and that 99 percent of Bosnian Serbs support secession from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dodik stated that this referendum is "inevitable" since Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
has no viable future. - AmbazoniaAmbazoniaThe name Ambazonia or Ambazania refers to two separate entities. One pertains to an advocacy group struggling for the total restoration of the statehood of the Crown Colony formerly known as the British Southern Cameroons...
- With the ruling by the African Charter for Human and Peoples Rights in 2009, Southern Cameroons is recognized as a distinct people "automatically entitled to all the other rights which are built into Article 20 (1-2) of the African Charter, which include the inalienable and unquestionable right to self-determination"
- West Papua, an illegally occupied Indonesian region whose people were denied a fair independence referendumIndependence referendumAn independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the citizens of a territory decide whether the territory should become an independent country. The independence referendum is considered successful if the citizens vote in favor of independence or unsuccessful if they do not...
that was promised to them in the New York AgreementNew York AgreementThe Agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands Concerning West New Guinea , also known as the New York Agreement, was a treaty signed between Indonesia and the Netherlands on the political status of West New Guinea...
in 1962. In 1969 a referendum(Act of Free ChoiceAct of Free ChoiceAct of Free Choice was an event in July to August 1969 by which Indonesia asserts that the Western New Guinea population decided to relinquish their sovereignty in favor of Indonesian citizenship...
)was held in West Papua but despite there being almost a million Papuans in the country, only 1026 were allowed to vote and were in fact, hand picked by the Indonesian military and forced to vote for integration with Indonesia. Subsequently, due to the rise in support for Papuan independence and the resulting genocide commited by the Indonesian army, the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
is very likely to soon intervene with a solution for the Papuan independence issue, in much the same way as they did for independence in Timor-Leste. (East Timorese independence referendum, 1999)
See also
- Civic nationalismCivic nationalismLiberal Nationalism is a kind of nationalism identified by political philosophers who believe in a non-xenophobic form of nationalism compatible with liberal values of freedom, tolerance, equality, and individual rights. Ernest Renan and John Stuart Mill are often thought to be early liberal...
- IndependenceIndependenceIndependence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
- SovereigntySovereigntySovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
- Succession of statesSuccession of statesSuccession of states is a theory and practice in international relations regarding the recognition and acceptance of a newly created sovereign state by other states, based on a perceived historical relationship the new state has with a prior state...