Falklands Votes to Stay British, 1,513 to 3

99.8% of islanders happy with status quo
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 12, 2013 1:31 AM CDT
Updated Mar 12, 2013 6:23 AM CDT
Pro-British Side Wins Falklands Vote, 1,513 to 3
Falklands governor Nigel Haywood poses for a picture in Port Stanley.   (AP Photo/Paul Byrne)

The referendum on whether Falkland Islanders want to remain British has ended with a vote overwhelmingly in favor of the status quo. With turnout above 90%, 1,513 voters wanted the disputed islands to remain a British overseas territory while just three voted no, reports the BBC. "It is a major principle of the United Nations that a people have their right to self-determination, and you don't get a much clearer expression of the people's self-determination than such a large turnout and such a large 'yes' vote," the islands' governor said.

Authorities in Argentina, which calls the islands Las Malvinas and claims them as its own, described the vote as invalid. British PM David Cameron, meanwhile, urged Buenos Aires to "take note," adding, "The Falklands are British through and through, and that is how they want to stay, and people should know we will always be there to defend them." (More Falkland Islands stories.)

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