Independence referendum

An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independence does not always ultimately result in independence.

Procedure An independence referendum typically arises first after political success for nationalists of a territory. This could come in the election of politicians or parties with separatist policies, or from pressure from nationalist organisations.

Negotiations Negotiations for the terms of an independence referendum may take place between the nationalists and the government which exercises sovereignty over the territory. If terms can be agreed, then the independence referendum can be held with its result binding, and respected by the international community. Independence referendums can be held without the consent of a national or the federal governments, then the international community will rely on several other factors, e.g. were the local people oppressed by the central government or not, to decide if the result can be recognized or not.

Various issues can be discussed in negotiations, such as the date and timing of the poll, as well as voter eligibility. For these instances, common electoral practice is often widely used, although there can be deviations, as seen with the lowering of the voting age for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

Other issues to be negotiated include what question or questions should be on the ballot, and what the voting options could be. Independence referendums can offer options of greater autonomy as well as, or instead of, the status quo. They can also put forward other constitutional questions to ballot. The questions that referendums ask may be revised if parties involved in negotiations consider them to be too leading.

Negotiations notably need to address what would make a result binding. For some independence referendums, a simple majority is required for one option. In other cases, a quota can be used, where a certain percentage of the vote or the electorate needs to be in favour of an option for it to be binding.

Successful negotiations can be hard to achieve for nationalists, as governments can be reluctant to give up sovereignty. For example, nationalists planned to hold a referendum in Catalonia in 2014, but met opposition from the Spanish government. As a result, the referendum that went ahead was unofficial and non-binding.

Aftermath In the event of a vote for independence, there may be negotiations on the terms of secession for the territory from the sovereign state. A declaration of independence for a new state is then made, and international recognition can follow, as well as membership of international organisations such as the United Nations. In cases involving non-binding referendums, this can lead to a unilateral declaration of independence, and therefore partially recognised or self-proclaimed states, like the Donbas status referendums.

In the event of a vote against independence, there may still be a strong nationalist movement and calls for there to be a rerun of the independence referendum. For example, after two referendums in Quebec, the Parti Québécois has continued to raise the prospect of holding another referendum, and the Scottish National Party has said that there should be a repeat of the 2014 referendum now that the United Kingdom has left the European Union.

List of independence referendums Proposed state Year Proposed independence fromMajority for independence IndependenceRecognition of resultNotes 1817 Spain Unilaterally declared independence. 1846 American Colonization Society Republic of Maryland 1853 Maryland State Colonization Society 1905 Iceland 1918 Western Australia 1933 1945 France 1945 Initially recognized by the Republic of China, but recognition was abolished in 1953; recognized by the People's Republic of China. 1946 Independence declaration annulled by Denmark. 1948 Integrated with Canada. 1951 Unrecognized by the government of India. 1955 Integrated with West Germany. Cameroon1958 Referendum on a new French constitution. A no vote would have led to independence.19581958 Comoros195819581958 Djibouti1958 French Polynesia1958 Gabon1958195819581958 Mali1958 Mauritania1958 New Caledonia195819581958 Senegal19581958 1961 Algeria 1962 1964 1964 Unilaterally declared independence. Djibouti 1967 1967 1969 Northern Mariana Islands 1969 1970 1974 Became an associated state of New Zealand. Comoros 1974 Mayotte remained with France. 1975 1976 1977 Independence plans dropped in 1994. 1977 1977 Unofficial referendum to become independent from Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla and attain Crown colony status within the British Empire. Unrecognized by the central government. 1980 1980 Recognized by South Africa; not by the international community. 1982 1983 Became an associated state of the United States. 1983 1983 Became an associated state of the United States. 1984 1984 Falkland Islands 1986 New Caledonia 1987 Slovenia 1990 Unilaterally declared independence. 1991 1991 1991 Unilaterally declared independence. 1991 1991 Kosova 1991 Only recognized by Albania. 1991 1991 1991 1991 Unilaterally declared independence, reintegrated into the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2024 after the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. 1991 1991 Unilaterally declared independence. Gagauz Republic 1991 Unilaterally separated from Moldova; reintegrated into the country in 1995. Turkmenistan 1991 1991 1992 Unilaterally declared independence. 1992 Montenegro split from Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. 1992 Unilaterally declared independence. 1993 1993 1993 1993 1994 1994 1994 1994 1995 1995 Seborga 1995 Regarded as a micronation. Anjouan 1997 Reintegrated with the Comoros in 2001. 1998 2/3 majority was required for independence. 1998 1999 2000 2001 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 but Quorum not reached The referendum was on whether Tokelau should become an associated state of New Zealand. 2/3 majority was required. 2007 but Quorum not reached Tamil Eelam 2009–2010 Unofficial referendum. Unrecognized by the government of Sri Lanka. 2011 2012 Donetsk 2014 Unilaterally declared independence. Luhansk 2014 Unilaterally declared independence. 2014 Unofficial referendum. Unrecognized by the government of Italy. 2014 Catalonia 2014 2014 South Brazil 2016 Unofficial referendum. Unrecognized by the government of Brazil. 2017 2017 The referendum also took place in the disputed territories of Northern Iraq. Catalonia 2017 Unilaterally declared independence. Declaration annulled by the government of Spain. South Brazil 2017 Unofficial referendum. Unrecognized by the government of Brazil.2018 2019 Nonbinding vote. Independence rests with Papua New Guinea's parliament.2020 2021 Boycotted by pro-independence parties. 2024

Scheduled independence referendums Proposed StateDateCurrent stateRecognitionNotesOctober 19, 2026

Independence referendum

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