VOTERS IN the French overseas territories of Martinique and Guiana have rejected proposals that would have given them more autonomy from France.
The proposed changes would have given the regions a status similar to that of French Polynesia, which has more responsibility for its own affairs than the overseas départements, but would not have led to independence.
In a referendum held at the weekend, however, 78.9 per cent of voters on the Caribbean island of Martinique rejected greater autonomy while in French Guiana, on the north coast of South America, the No vote was nearly 70 per cent, according to official figures. Turnout was 55 per cent in Martinique and 48 per cent in Guiana.
Local members of parliament and the regional governments had been pushing for a Yes vote, which would have given them more power over matters such as education and health.
“This choice shows the attachment of the inhabitants of Martinique and Guiana to a statute close to that of the mainland, and reaffirms the close links that unite them to the Republic,” President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday.
Both territories suffer from higher unemployment than the rest of France and their economies are heavily dependent on support from Paris.
While the result was widely interpreted as a rebuff to local politicians, who had asked Mr Sarkozy to hold the referendum, officials said various factors were in play.
“There were those who did not answer the question and who saw it as ‘Do you want independence?’ and who voted No,” said Patrick Karam, a government official. “Then there were those . . . who asked ‘What will happen to our social benefits in future?’”
Guadeloupe, the third French overseas department in the region, didn’t hold a referendum because local leaders felt political tensions were too high after a six-week general strike last year.
Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guiana became départementsin 1946, giving them the same status as the 96 départementsof mainland France. The 100th départementis Réunion in the Indian Ocean.