2018 Kingsport statehood referendum
| 2018 Kingsport statehood referendum | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Should Kingsport be admitted into the Commonwealth of Estmere as a State? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location |  Kingsport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | March 22, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Kingsportian Executive | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes
No
A referendum on whether Kingsport should be admitted as an Estmerish state was held on 22 March 2018 in the overseas territory of Kingsport, to determine whether there was adequate support for the island to join the Commonwealth as a full state, as was suggested by Chief Executive Adi Harjo. Statehooded was support by most major Kingsportian political parties, with the Kabuese Section of the Workers' International being the only party in the Kingsport Assembly to support a no vote. The referendum was held concurrently with a similar referendum in St Roberts and Fleming.
The referendum was binding, as per article 9 of the Estmerish constitution which states that any prospective new states needed to demonstrate adequate support for statehood, but the legislative path to statehood following the referendum was unclear. Prime Minister Richard Graham was seen to be supportive of statehood for the islands, so it was expected that result of the referendum would be ratified in Parliament swiftly.
The result of the referendum saw 64.7% in favour of pursuing statehood, on a high turnout of 81.76%.
Background
Sovereignty dispute
Estmere purchased the island of Kingsport from the waning Aguda Empire in 1778, having leased the island since 1713. The status of the island has been disputed since the independence of Kabu. South Kabu has officially claimed the island since 1952, while North Kabu claimed the island from 1947 until 1997. Neither state has made any military attempt to recover the territory, but South Kabu in particular have continually leverged diplomatic means to acquire Kingsport. The Community of Nations includes Kingsport on its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, but this is disputed by the Estmerish government. Kingsport held a referendum in 1997 to determine the level of support on the island for remaining in union with Estmere, with 89.2% of Kingsportians supporting continued Estmerish sovereignty.
Statehood debate
The status of Kingsport within Estmere has also been subject to debate. Powers were gradually devolved to the island beginning in 1986, with a Kingsportian Executive being formed with responsibilities over education, healthcare, transport and further powers over time. Whether to attain statehood, retain this level of devolution, increase it, leave Estmere for independence or enter union with one of the Kabus was an ongoing to political debate within Kingsport. The election of Adi Harjo in the 2017 general election was seen as a victory for those in favour of statehood, as achieving this was a major policy goal of Harjo.
Question
The referendum asked voters one yes or no question, presented in both Estmerish and Kabuese:
Should Kingsport be admitted into the Commonwealth of Estmere as a State?
Apa Pulau Hujung diakoni ing Persemakmuran Estmera minangka Negara?
Voters were permitted to mark a box with an X on either YES/YA WIS or NO/ORA. The wording was the same as used in the concurrent referendum in St Roberts and Fleming.
Endorsements
Political parties
Observers
The Kingsportian Executive invited a number of foreign observers to form a panel for the purposes of ensuring that the referendum was fair and followed democratic norms. The panel was headed by Estmerish backbench MP James Buckman, and included representatives from North and South Kabu. Buckman's final report stated that the observers were impressed with the organisation and conduct of the referendum, that it was free and fair, and that the role of observers was appreciated.
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes
|
21,218 | 64.7 |
| No | 11,592 | 35.3 |
| Valid votes | 32,810 | 89.66 |
| Invalid or blank votes | 29,151 | 10.3 |
| Total votes | 36,592 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters and turnout | 44,756 | 81.8 |
| Source: Kingsportian Executive | ||
| Yes: 21,218 (64.7%) |
No: 11,592 (35.3%%) | ||
| ▲ | |||
Reactions
The result was recieved positively in Kingsport and by many in Morwall. The Chief Executive of Kingsport, Adi Harjo, celebrated the result and told the Estmerish government that "the path ahead for Kingsport is now crystal clear: get started on the paperwork".
Richard Graham congratulated Harjo on the result, said he was "immensely proud" of the show of support for statehood, and thanked Kingsportians for "taking part in the democratic process". Opposition leader Zoe Halivar also gave her congratulations, and pushed for the prime minister to start the process of admitting Kingsport as a state "as soon as possible". The Reform Party and the Greens also offered their congratulations, while the Left Party reiterated its support for uniting Kingsport with Kabu.
Despite the participation of South Kabuese in the observation of the referendum, the reaction in South Kabu was mostly negative. Pakaryan decried the result of the referendum as a measure to "retroactively justify imperialist aggression", and said that the referendum cemented "the illegal colonialist occupation of Pulau Hujung". Moderates in the South Kabuese government were more neutral in their assessment.
Aftermath
After the vote in favour of statehood, Richard Graham committed his government to implementing the result. Graham's replacement as prime minister by Reginald Wilton-Smyth and the general election which followed it, however, derailed these plans. Wilton-Smyth was not a major supporter of Kingsportian statehood, and his tenure focused mostly on other policies. Major crises during his term such as heightened tensions with Zorasan and the missing pensions scandal pushed Kingsportian statehood further down the agenda.
The 2021 election and the emergence of a PSD government led by Zoe Halivar has led to the plans being revived, and the Halivar administration now plans to admit both Kingsport and St Roberts and Fleming as states of the Commonwealth in mid 2022.