A constitutional referendum was held in

Bonaire Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...

on 17 December 2010. The new constitution would make the island a municipality within the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Although the results showed 87% had voted against the new status, the referendum had required a 51% turnout and was subsequently declared invalid as the actual turnout was only 35%.

Background

The Netherlands Antilles was scheduled to cease to exist on 10 October 2010. Under the current terms of the

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. After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—became th ...

, Bonaire will become a fully integrated

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

within the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

. This may be changed should voters choose to become an

associated state An associated state is the minor partner in a formal, free relationship between a political territory (some dependent, most fully sovereign states) and a major party—usually a larger nation. The details of such free association are contain ...

within the Netherlands instead. The referendum was called after a government changeover from the

Bonaire Patriotic Union The Bonaire Patriotic Union ( pap, Union Patriótiko Boneriano, label= Papiamentu, UPB; nl, Patriottische Unie van Bonaire) is a Dutch local political party in the special municipality of Bonaire. History In the 2002 Netherlands Antilles gene ...

(UPB), led by Ramonsito Booi, to the Bonaire Democratic Alliance (ADB), led by Jopie Abraham. The referendum was a key point of contention between the two parties. The succession was triggered by the departure of Anthony Nicolaas from the ruling coalition, an act which is being investigated as being a result of corruption. The enabling legislation decided that the referendum should be worded "Ik wil dat Bonaire een rechtstreekse band met Nederland zal hebben in de vorm van A. Associatie (Bonaire krijgt een eigenstandige positie binnen het Koninkrijk) of B. Integratie (Bonaire wordt deel van Nederland)" (I desire that

shall have a direct tie with the Netherlands in the form of A: Association (Bonaire holds an independent position inside the Kingdom) or B: Integration (Bonaire becomes a part of the Netherlands)). The set date for the referendum was originally set as 15 January 2010, exactly one week before the Netherlands Antilles general election. The date was chosen so it would not conflict with the general election. Other dates originally considered for the referendum were 11 December 2009, and 19 March 2010. The referendum did not take place on January 15, and was rescheduled to 26 March 2010 before being cancelled. The Netherlands indicated that it would not cooperate if the referendum favors free association, stating "that the only alternative to the process of integration currently in execution was independence". Previously agreed upon payments from the Kingdom to Bonaire have been placed on hold pending the outcome of the referendum.

Results

References

{{Bonaire elections

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2010 in Bonaire 2010 referendums History of the Caribbean Netherlands December 2010 events in North America