Falkland Islanders vote Yes in referendum to remain part of Britain

Just three people responded with the answer “No” to the question: "Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?” A total of 1513 answered in the affirmative.

In truth, the outcome of the poll was never in doubt, but the size of the Yes vote, combined with a turnout of 92 per cent, provoked gasps and cries of “Listen to us!” from the crowd gathered inside Port Stanley town hall.

Outside, under the arch made of giant whale bones that is one of Stanley’s landmarks, a crowd sang “God Save the Queen” and Rod Stewart’s “I am Sailing”.

“I expected a big turnout but the strength of this vote leaves the world in no doubt about the wishes of the people of the Falkland Islands,” said Jan Cheek, a member of the islands’ eight-strong Legislative Assembly.

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, welcomed the result, and in a comment aimed at Argentina, which invaded the islands in 1982, asked all nations to respect the islanders’ wishes.

“We have always been clear that we believe in the rights of the Falklands people to determine their own futures,” he said. “It is only right that, in the 21st Century, these rights are respected. All countries should accept the results of this referendum and support the Falkland islanders as they continue to develop their home and economy. I wish them every success.”

The result was a vindication for David Cameron, who backed the referendum as a tangible expression of the islanders’ right to self-determination, and a snub to Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, president of Argentina, who had called it irrelevant and the product of an “implanted population”.

The Falklands, subject of a bloody war between Britain and Argentina between April and June 1982, have been propelled back into prominence by Kirchner.

She maintains that their inhabitants have no voice in negotiations over the sovereignty of the South Atlantic archipelago. She has used the issue to distract her countrymen from economic woes that include one of the world’s highest rates of inflation, but the policy appears to have backfired. The referendum attracted independent electoral observers from, among other countries, Uruguay, Chile and Mexico, frustrating Argentina’s attempt to portray the islanders as an internationally isolated people, shunned by Latin America.

Alicia Castro, Argentina’s ambassador to Britain, continued yesterday to push her government’s line that referendum lacked validity but at least conceded the islanders’ existence.

“We respect their way of life, their identity,” she said. “We respect that they want to continue being British, but the territory they inhabit is not British.”

Kirchner’s obdurate handling of the referendum issue was summed up by the Argentinian columnist Andres Oppenheimer. Writing in the Miami Herald, he said: “Argentina’s latest offensive against the islanders may go down in history as a text-book example of diplomatic incompetence.”

The two-day referendum was largely inspired by increased Argentine pressure on the islanders. There are some 2,900 people living on the Falklands, including communities from Chile and St Helena, but the right to vote in the referendum resided with those granted residency rights.

The referendum had a character all of its own, with four-wheel drive vehicles acting as mobile polling stations for remote farming communities.

An Islander turboprop acted as an airborne polling station, visiting settlements on West Falkland and offshore islands. Of 1649 islanders eligible to vote, 1518 did so, one ballot paper being spoilt.

Brad Smith, the American leader of the observers, said: “The Falkland Islands referendum process was free and fair, reflecting the democratic will of the voters of the Falkland Islands.”

The islanders sought to capitalise immediately on the outcome by announcing that two members of the Legislative Assembly would travel to Washington to deliver the result of the vote to the US Congress. America has sat on the fence in regard to the Falklands dispute, recognising de facto British administration but refusing to take sides on sovereignty.

“Self-determination is what the United States was founded on and it is a fundamental right,” said Dick Sawle, a member of the Legislative Assembly.

“It’s a right that they recognise, so I hope they would listen to what’s happening here today.”