More than two-thirds (69.8%) of voters in French Guiana and a whopping 80% in Martinique voted against the proposal, with voter turnout 48% and 55% respectively.
If each departement had voted yes, their status would been changed from that of overseas regions to that of overseas collectivities as is the case with French Polynesia, whose local authorities have the right to pass some laws.The two overseas territories have long been known as departements of France (aka DOM-TOM - see below left) - giving them the same political status as mainland France - for more than 60 years, and as a result have received considerable financial support from central government.
The vote on increased autonomy had been announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy when he visited Matrinique (above) in June after a serious of strikes and riots took place on the islands sparked by high unemployment, which stands at 22% in Martinique and a similar level in Guiana, low wages and rising prices.
Martinique, which is a large producer and exporter of rum and bananas, is a very popular tourist destination for mainland French people. French Guiana, part of the South American mainland, is best known as the launch site for the Ariane European space rockets - and could well see more action because of the Galileo satellite project.Before the vote, Martinique's regional president Alfred Marie-Jeanne had said that a positive vote would be "with no losses and no risks", and he pointed out that social security rights and membership of the European Union would be maintained.
NB. A similar proposal was rejected in Martinique back in 2003 by a 50.48% majority of voters.
