A status referendum was held on the island of
Sint Eustatius
Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia, is an island in the Caribbean. It is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially "Public body (Netherlands), public body") of the Netherlands.
The island is in the northern Leeward Islands ...
on 8 April 2005.
Background
After the 1994 referendum came out in favour of maintaining and restructuring the
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles (, ; ), also known as the Dutch Antilles, was a constituent Caribbean country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisting of the islands of Saba (island), Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten in the Lesser Antilles, ...
, the government of the Netherlands Antilles tried to restructure the
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles (, ; ), also known as the Dutch Antilles, was a constituent Caribbean country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisting of the islands of Saba (island), Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten in the Lesser 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
The Kingdom of the Netherlands (, ;, , ), commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The re ...
, sparked a new series of referendums across the Netherlands Antilles, however.
Sint Eustatius was the only island to again vote for retaining the Netherlands Antilles. However, since none of the other islands chose to remain part of the Netherlands Antilles, the Sint Eustatius island council opted for direct ties with the Netherlands.
Result
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.
After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean— Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—became ...
**
2000 Sint Maarten status referendum
**
2004 Bonaire status referendum
**
2004 Saban status referendum
**
2005 Curaçao status referendum
Notes
Referendums in Sint Eustatius
Referendums in the Netherlands Antilles
2005 referendums
2005 in the Netherlands Antilles
April 2005 in North America
Sint Eustatius
Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia, is an island in the Caribbean. It is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially "Public body (Netherlands), public body") of the Netherlands.
The island is in the northern Leeward Islands ...
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