A total of 5,040 people said “No” to the current content of Bonaire’s choice for direct ties with the Netherlands made back in 2004 during Friday’s consultative referendum, compared to 2,649 who answered “Yes.” With a final voter turnout of 61.6 per cent, the near two-thirds majority win gives the local PDB/UPB coalition the support it was looking for to reopen negotiations with the Dutch Government regarding the island’s current status of overseas special public body. Depending on the results there may be another, decision-making referendum with several concrete options in the future. It’s not clear at the moment what all this could mean for St. Eustatius and Saba, which share the same constitutional status as part of the Caribbean Netherlands.
