2021 New Batavian secession referendum
| Should this governorate remain with the Islamic Republic of New Batavia or should it secede and form a new state with other governorates? Moet dit gouvernement bij de Islamitische Republiek Nieuw-Batavië blijven of moet het zich afscheiden en samen met andere gouvernementen een nieuwe staat vormen?' | ||||
| Results | ||||
| Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remain | 16,917,600 | 80.41% | ||
| Leave | 4,122,400 | 19.59% | ||
| Valid votes | 21,040,000 | 100% | ||
| Invalid votes | 0 | 0% | ||
| Total votes | 21,040,000 | 100% | ||
A referendum was being held July 31, 2021 in which two governorates voted to secede from New Batavia.
The question on the ballot was "Should this governorate remain with the Islamic Republic of New Batavia or should it secede and form a new state with other governorates?" (Moet dit gouvernement bij de Islamitische Republiek Nieuw-Batavië blijven of moet het zich afscheiden en samen met andere gouvernementen een nieuwe staat vormen?).
Background
The South Corum Independence Party was established on January 31, 2021. It claimed that the rights of the settlers in Southern Corum, often returning exiles, were being neglected by the Lucerne ruling elite.
The establishment of governorates didn't meet SCIP's demand for autonomy and English wasn't accepted as a second official language. In the elections of end June 2021, it won 44 seats out of 100 in the Majlis-ash-Shoera. The IRP-DSB coalition lost 10 seats.
On July 23, 2021 IRP and SCIP agreed upon a roadmap for the secession of the English speaking governorates. DSB strongly opposed the plans for secession. A referendum act was accepted by the Majlis-ash-Shoera one week later.
Positions
The South Corum Independence Party was pro secession. It believed it would easily gain all English majority governorates. Despite this, Haasil, As-Saahil Al-Gharbie and Broeksiel voted to remain.
The Islamic Revolutionary Party negotiated the roadmap for secession with SCIP and approved it in the Majlis-ash-Shoera. It called to vote against secession, arguing that New Batavia had proven to be a stable rule-of-law nation. The IRP warned for secessionist adventures.
The Democratic Social Movement opposed both the referendum and the secessionist movement. It felt it compromised the integrity of New Batavia and its legacy.
Results
In two governorates a majority voted for secession: Dar Al-Hoeriya and Al-Ard Al-Moestasliha. It was believed by SCIP that voters would vote along linguistic lines, but only these two governorates voted for secession. Other English majority governorates voted to remain with New Batavia, for example Broeksiel and Haasil.
| Governorate | Population | Dutch speaking | English speaking | Voted Remain | Voted Leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dar Al-Hoeriya | 1.200.000 | 25% | 75% | 19% | 81% |
| Dar Al-Janoeb | 4.500.000 | 98% | 2% | 99% | 1% |
| Al-Ard Al-Moestasliha | 400.000 | 45% | 55% | 46% | 54% |
| Al-Khaliej | 5.500.000 | 97% | 3% | 98% | 2% |
| Al-Moestanqa'at | 1.200.000 | 78% | 22% | 79% | 21% |
| Broeksiel | 350.000 | 35% | 65% | 53% | 47% |
| Lucerne | 4.100.000 | 90% | 10% | 94% | 6% |
| Al-Akhdar | 900.000 | 53% | 47% | 61% | 39% |
| As-Saahil Al-Gharbie | 3.500.000 | 42% | 58% | 51% | 49% |
| Kurum Al-Asghar | 2.500.000 | 87% | 13% | 92% | 8% |
| Haasil | 2.150.000 | 33% | 67% | 59% | 41% |
Aftermath
Representatives of the New Batavian government and of the seceding governorates of Al-Ard Al-Moestasliha and Dar Al-Hoeriya negotiated the formal secession. On August 5, 2021 Al-Ard Al-Moestasliha and Dar Al-Hoeriya announced their new nation would be named Kurum Ash-Sharqia.
