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A short guide to upcoming referendums (and similar things)

Scotland and Catalonia are the best-known examples of countries willing to call a vote on independence, but there is a longer list including Pacific islands and several autonomous territories · Referendums are sometimes used as a bargain chip in order to get more powers without having to declare independence

Catalonia made headlines yesterday when its two main political parties agreed to hold a referendum on independence in 2014. But Catalans are not alone in this business. Several countries all along the world plan to call a vote on their future, be it as an outright referendum or by means of other democratic tools. This tries to be a very short guide to them.

Scotland to decide on the Union with the agreement of the British government

Britain decided to allow a referendum in Scotland since the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament in May 2011. British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond stroke a deal in October 2012 in order to call a vote before the end of 2014. 16 and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote and the ballots will contain a single "yes-no" question. Opinion polls say that supporters of keeping the Union have a solid lead.

Turning an election into a plebiscite? A way forward for Flanders

Pro-independence leader and mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever hopes to reproduce in 2014 the gains that his New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) made in the last local elections. In two years' time, Belgium will hold a federal election after which De Wever wants to start a new state reform that turns Belgium into a confederation where Flanders would be a semi-independent country.

Veneto: pressing for more powers?

Another territory in Europe that contemplates the possibility of calling a referendum on independence is Veneto. A resolution passed in November by the Regional Council of Veneto foresees that a group of lawyers analyzes if a vote can be legally held. But Veneto's president Luca Zaia has an alternative proposal to this, consisting on getting more powers from the Italian state in the framework of a "variable geometry federalism".

New Caledonia: fulfilling the Nouméa Accord

French overseas territory of New Caledonia should hold a referendum on independence between 2014 and 2018. This is part of the Nouméa Accord, that was signed in 1998 to put an end to periodic episodes of conflict in the islands. The agreement gave autonomy to New Caledonia and political rights to its indigenous Kanak population.

Bougainville: a new state in the Pacific Ocean?

Papua New Guinea's Autonomous Region of Bougainville is to call a vote on self-determination between 2015 and 2020. This is foreseen in the agreement signed after a bloody conflict between Papua New Guineans and Bougainvilleans ended in 1997. A "yes" victory would create a new independent state of less than 200,000 people, just north of the republic of Solomon Islands.

With no concrete date, an issue in many countries' minds

Although not having set a concrete date, the prospect of holding a referendum on independence have been voiced by the heads of government of a number of territories. Quebec PM Pauline Marois would like to hold a third referendum on secession, but she admits that it is "hardly conceivable" now. Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has sometimes said that the Republic of Srpska should decide on its independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The same can be said about Kurdish leader Massud Barzani and Iraqi Kurdistan. It is also foreseen that some day Greenland will hold its own referendum to secede from Denmark: it is allowed to do so since 2008.