Policy of Gibraltar

Gibraltar enjoys the political autonomy, in a parliamentary mode of democracy, in which the Prime Minister is the chief of the government, and of a system multi-partite. Gibraltar is a Overseas territory of the United Kingdom, with its own government governed by the constitution of 1969. The preamble to this constitution declares that " the government of its majesty will never enter arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar should pass under the sovereignty of another state against their wishes freely and democratically exprimés.".

By referendum, on September 10th, 1967, the people of Gibraltar rejected by 12.138 votes against 44, the transfer of sovereignty towards the Spain and wished to remain under British sovereignty. This day is now celebrated like national festival. At the time the referendum organized by the government of Gibraltar of November 7th, 2002, the voters also rejected the principle of the division of sovereignty between Spain and the the United Kingdom, by 17  900 votes against 187.

With the difference of the majority of the other British colonies, independence was not proposed in Gibraltar by the United Kingdom. It was suggested that it is because of the Traité of Utrecht (1713) by which Spain yielded the territory to the British crown. If this one wants to get rid of Gibraltar, the rock will have to be initially proposed in Spain. However the government of Gibraltar specified that article 103 of the charter of UNO cancels this " clause of réversion".

Neither the United Kingdom, nor Spain seem ready to examine the legal status of clause X of the Treaty of Utrecht in front of the courts. Other articles of the regulating treaty of the questions such as the trade of the slaves, and the transfer of Minorque to the British, fell in disuse.

Spain wire-drawer which the statute of Gibraltar is an anachronism, and which Gibraltar should be a Spanish autonomous community, like the Catalogne or the Basque Country. It also specifies that the principle of the territorial integrity applies, as for the British making of Hong-Kong to the China in 1997. However, at the same time, the successive Spanish governments refused to encourage the transfer of their North-African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla to the Morocco. The Andalusia wishes it that Gibraltar be integrated in its area.

Gibraltariens continue to affirm that they are British and nonSpanish citizens.

List Parties present at Gibraltar:

1. Parties currently existing, with members sitting at the Parliament (between brackets):

The last elections were held on November 28th, 2003.

2. Formerly active parties:

  • Workers party of Gibraltar, socialist
  • Left reforming Gibraltar, green, amalgamated with the Social democrats of Gibraltar in 2003
  • Association for the advance of the civic rights
  • Democratic party of British Gibraltar
  • Democratic movement of Gibraltar
  • Intégration with Great Britain

3. Active party in Gibraltar but not seeking to be elected:

Random links:Hamburg | Idempotence | WNYC | Milmort | Cypraea rosselli | Paolo De Ceglie | Simon_van_der_Meer