1993: the first status referendum
Restructuring the Netherlands Antilles won 73.56%; independence received just 0.49%.[1]
· Referendum or popular consultation
1993 Curaçao status referendum
Curaçaoans voted decisively against independence, favouring restructuring within the Netherlands Antilles.
2005-2010: the path to autonomous status
Autonomous country status won 67.83% in 2005, and Curaçao became an autonomous country in October 2010.[2] [3]
· Constitutional change
Curaçao becomes an autonomous country, 2010
Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: In a status referendum held on Curaçao on 19 November 1993, restructuring the Netherlands Antilles received 73.56% of the vote, becoming a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands received 17.93%, becoming a direct part of the Netherlands received 8.02%, and independence received just 0.49%.
- 1993 Curaçao status referendum (Wikipedia) link, 1993 referendum results section. Source record
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2.
Claim: In a status referendum held on Curaçao on 8 April 2005, becoming an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands received 67.83% of the vote, integration into the Netherlands received 23.61%, independence received 4.82%, and remaining part of the Netherlands Antilles received 3.74%.
- 2005 Curaçao status referendum (Wikipedia) link, 2005 referendum results section. Source record
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3.
Claim: A non-binding referendum held on Curaçao on 15 May 2009 recorded 52% support for the move to self-governing status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; this change took effect on 10 October 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, making Curaçao (together with Sint Maarten) an autonomous country within the Kingdom, a status similar to Aruba's, while none of the former Netherlands Antilles islands chose full independence.
- Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles (Wikipedia) link, 2009 referendum and 2010 dissolution section. Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/curacao-political-status/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.