Mahoran status referendum, 2009
Encyclopedia
A referendum on becoming an overseas department of France was held in Mayotte
on 29 March 2009. Mayotte had been an overseas collectivity of France since 2003. In contrast to the four other similar regions (Guadeloupe
, Martinique
, Réunion
and French Guiana
), Mayotte would not have become a Overseas department (DOM) or an Overseas region (ROM), but would only have had a single assembly; the four other existing DOM-ROM will have the option of changing their status to this format as well.
Mayotte became the 101st French department and the first with a 95% Muslim population in 2011 as a result of the "yes" vote.
The move has been opposed by the African Union
and Comoros
, who claim it is "occupation by a foreign power" and several protests have been held in Moroni
, capital of Comoros. The Comoran vice-president said the vote was a "declaration of war".
, rather than the French language. It is believed that one third of the population consists of illegal immigrants, mostly from the neighboring, impoverished Comoros islands. Continued political union with France has allowed Mayotte to remain relatively prosperous, at least by regional standards, compared to the independent Comoros. The Comoros, which has suffered from economic and political instability since its independence, continues to claim Mayotte as part of its territory.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
promised a referendum on Mayotte's future status during the 2007 French presidential election
.
Many Mahorans hoped to benefit economically in the future with a possible yes result. The unemployment rate in Mayotte stood at over 25% at the time of the 2009 referendum.
Ahmed Attoumani Douchina
, supported the "yes" campaign. For example, Abdoulatifou Aly
, a Mahoran legislator, supported the "yes" campaign arguing that Mayotte has a longer history within France than some areas of the mainland in an interview with L'Express
, "We may be black, poor and Muslim, but we have been French longer than Nice
." The campaign also received strong support from the French government in Paris.
Public opinion
polls leading up to the referendum showed strong support for closer political union from the vast majority of Mayotte's citizens, and the "yes" campaign was expected to win by a wide margin. Many saw the comparative advantages of full French citizenship as greater than the need to retain some traditional local customs, such as polygamy
, which would be eliminated under French law.
s and religious leaders had urged a "no" vote. The imam
of Mamoudzou
, Mayotte's capital city, campaigned strongly against the referendum due to the expected abolition of polygamy with a "yes" victory. "The law of the Qur'an
permits a man to have two or three wives. I'm polygamous. I've already let go of two or three wives in the past."
was a high 61% of eligible Mahorans.
French Interior Minister
Michele Alliot-Marie
hailed the results of the landslide election saying, "This will reinforce the place of Mayotte in the republic, reaffirming our founding values, particularly equality between men and women
, the same justice for all, and the place of the French language."
Local judicial, economic and social laws and customs will have to be changed to conform with French law. Mayotte will have to ban polygamy before it becomes a department. Women's rights will also be brought to French standards. Women currently do not have equal inheritance
rights in Mayotte, which will be changed to comply with the French justice system. The minimum age in which a person can legally marry will be raised from 15 to 18 years old. Mayotte would likely have to legalise same-sex civil unions, known as PACS
in France, becoming the first majority-Muslim political entity to legally recognize same-sex unions.
The traditional Mayotte local court system, which combines Quranic principles of Islam
with African and Malagasy customs, will be phased out in favor of the French legal system. Islamic law
will be progressively abolished and be replaced by uniform French civil code
. Mayotte currently has a traditional Islamic legal system consisting of qadi
s, as religious scholars are known, who act as judges in cases related to Islamic law. Islamic courts and justice system will be replaced by secular courts, though the qadis will retain a role as legal consultants.
As a department, Mayotte will become eligible for expanded French social and economic programs, as well as European Union
funds. However, the French government will not immediately extend the social welfare system enjoyed by metropolitan France
. Instead, social service benefits will gradually be extended to Mahoran citizens over a period of 20 years, until they are equal to those enjoyed in metropolitan France. The French government has also promised financial support to strengthen Mahoran infrastructure
.
Mahoran citizens will see increased income tax
es as a result of closer political union
with France.
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
on 29 March 2009. Mayotte had been an overseas collectivity of France since 2003. In contrast to the four other similar regions (Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
and French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
), Mayotte would not have become a Overseas department (DOM) or an Overseas region (ROM), but would only have had a single assembly; the four other existing DOM-ROM will have the option of changing their status to this format as well.
Mayotte became the 101st French department and the first with a 95% Muslim population in 2011 as a result of the "yes" vote.
The move has been opposed by the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
and Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
, who claim it is "occupation by a foreign power" and several protests have been held in Moroni
Moroni, Comoros
-References:...
, capital of Comoros. The Comoran vice-president said the vote was a "declaration of war".
Background
The population of Mayotte is approximately 186,000. Ninety-five percent of Mahorans are Sunni Muslims. Many Mahorans are fluent in local languages, including Shimaore and BushiBushi language
Bushi, Shibushi, or Kibushi is a language spoken in Madagascar and the French-ruled Comorian islands of Mayotte. In 1995, it was spoken by 806,200 people .-Madagascar Bushi:...
, rather than the French language. It is believed that one third of the population consists of illegal immigrants, mostly from the neighboring, impoverished Comoros islands. Continued political union with France has allowed Mayotte to remain relatively prosperous, at least by regional standards, compared to the independent Comoros. The Comoros, which has suffered from economic and political instability since its independence, continues to claim Mayotte as part of its territory.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
promised a referendum on Mayotte's future status during the 2007 French presidential election
French presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
.
Many Mahorans hoped to benefit economically in the future with a possible yes result. The unemployment rate in Mayotte stood at over 25% at the time of the 2009 referendum.
Support
All of Mayotte's major political parties and politicians, including the General Council PresidentGeneral Council of Mayotte
Mayotte elects on territorial level a legislature. The General Council has 19 members, elected for a three year term in single seat constituencies.- Presidents of the General Council:* Younoussa Bamana : 6 July 1977 – March 1991...
Ahmed Attoumani Douchina
Ahmed Attoumani Douchina
Ahmed Attoumani Douchina is a Mahoran politician. Douchina served as the President of the General Council of Mayotte between 20 March 2009 and 3 April 2011, when he was succeeded by Daniel Zaïdani. Zaudani narrowly defeated Douchina by just one vote, or 10-9, in the Council's presidential...
, supported the "yes" campaign. For example, Abdoulatifou Aly
Abdoulatifou Aly
Abdoulatifou Aly is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the island of Mayotte, and is a member of the Democratic Movement nationally, but is a member of the Mahoran Departmentalist Movement in Mayotte.Aly campaigned strongly for the "Yes" result in the...
, a Mahoran legislator, supported the "yes" campaign arguing that Mayotte has a longer history within France than some areas of the mainland in an interview with L'Express
L'Express (France)
L'Express is a French weekly news magazine. When founded in 1953 during the First Indochina War, it was modelled on the US magazine TIME.-History:...
, "We may be black, poor and Muslim, but we have been French longer than Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
." The campaign also received strong support from the French government in Paris.
Public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
polls leading up to the referendum showed strong support for closer political union from the vast majority of Mayotte's citizens, and the "yes" campaign was expected to win by a wide margin. Many saw the comparative advantages of full French citizenship as greater than the need to retain some traditional local customs, such as polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, which would be eliminated under French law.
Local opposition
Some Islamic imamImam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
s and religious leaders had urged a "no" vote. The imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of Mamoudzou
Mamoudzou
Mamoudzou is the capital of the French overseas region and department of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean. Mamoudzou, known as Momoju in the local Shimaore language, is the most populated commune of Mayotte. It is located on Grande-Terre , the main island of Mayotte...
, Mayotte's capital city, campaigned strongly against the referendum due to the expected abolition of polygamy with a "yes" victory. "The law of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
permits a man to have two or three wives. I'm polygamous. I've already let go of two or three wives in the past."
Results
Early poll results indicated that the "yes" option had received approximately 95.2% of the total votes cast. Only 4.8% of Mahoran voters opposed the proposition. The estimated voter turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was a high 61% of eligible Mahorans.
French Interior Minister
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
Michele Alliot-Marie
Michèle Alliot-Marie
Michèle Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie, born 10 September 1946 and nicknamed MAM, is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement . A member of all but one right-wing governments of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, she was the first woman in France to hold the portfolios of Defense , the...
hailed the results of the landslide election saying, "This will reinforce the place of Mayotte in the republic, reaffirming our founding values, particularly equality between men and women
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
, the same justice for all, and the place of the French language."
Referendum implications
With a yes result, Mayotte, which was an overseas collectivity, became an integral French department on March 31, 2011.Local judicial, economic and social laws and customs will have to be changed to conform with French law. Mayotte will have to ban polygamy before it becomes a department. Women's rights will also be brought to French standards. Women currently do not have equal inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
rights in Mayotte, which will be changed to comply with the French justice system. The minimum age in which a person can legally marry will be raised from 15 to 18 years old. Mayotte would likely have to legalise same-sex civil unions, known as PACS
Pacte civil de solidarité
In France, a pacte civil de solidarité commonly known as a PACS /paks/ , is a form of civil union between two adults for organising their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but less so than marriage...
in France, becoming the first majority-Muslim political entity to legally recognize same-sex unions.
The traditional Mayotte local court system, which combines Quranic principles of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
with African and Malagasy customs, will be phased out in favor of the French legal system. Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
will be progressively abolished and be replaced by uniform French civil code
Law of France
In academic terms, French law can be divided into two main categories: private or judicial law and public law .Judicial law includes, in particular:*civil law ; and*criminal law ....
. Mayotte currently has a traditional Islamic legal system consisting of qadi
Qadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
s, as religious scholars are known, who act as judges in cases related to Islamic law. Islamic courts and justice system will be replaced by secular courts, though the qadis will retain a role as legal consultants.
As a department, Mayotte will become eligible for expanded French social and economic programs, as well as European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
funds. However, the French government will not immediately extend the social welfare system enjoyed by metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
. Instead, social service benefits will gradually be extended to Mahoran citizens over a period of 20 years, until they are equal to those enjoyed in metropolitan France. The French government has also promised financial support to strengthen Mahoran infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
.
Mahoran citizens will see increased income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es as a result of closer political union
Political union
A political union is a type of state which is composed of or created out of smaller states. Unlike a personal union, the individual states share a common government and the union is recognized internationally as a single political entity...
with France.