On 10 August 1998 the people of Nevis voted in a referendum on whether their island should separate from the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis and become an independent state. A clear majority voted in favour — but the Constitution requires at least two-thirds of the votes cast, and that threshold was not met. Nevis remained within the federation. The referendum is one of the most closely studied constitutional events in the Eastern Caribbean, and this page sets out what happened, neutrally and factually.
The constitutional context
When St Kitts and Nevis became independent in 1983, the Constitution gave Nevis a unique double guarantee: substantial autonomy through its own legislature and the Nevis Island Administration, and an explicit right of secession. Under the Constitution, the Nevis Island Legislature may pass a separation bill, but separation takes effect only if it is approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds of the votes cast on Nevis. No comparable provision exists for St Kitts. The arrangements are described in our guide to the system of government.
Why the question was put
Tension between the two islands long predates independence: many Nevisians historically felt that administration from Basseterre under-served their island, a grievance with roots reaching back to colonial rule and the associated-statehood era. In the 1990s the Nevis Island Administration, then led by Premier Vance Amory of the Concerned Citizens’ Movement, initiated the constitutional separation process, and the question was put to Nevisian voters in August 1998.
The result
Turnout was high, and approximately 62 per cent of votes were cast in favour of separation — a clear majority, but short of the two-thirds the Constitution requires. The measure therefore did not pass, and Nevis remained part of the federation. Both the campaign and the vote were conducted peacefully through the constitutional process.
Why it remains significant
The referendum demonstrated that the federation’s most sensitive constitutional question could be put to the people and resolved lawfully and without unrest — itself a mark of democratic maturity. It also confirmed how seriously Nevisian autonomy is felt, and it has informed discussion of federal arrangements, revenue-sharing and constitutional reform in the years since. The secession provision remains part of the Constitution today. This page records the historical event; it takes no position on the question itself, which belongs to the people of Nevis.
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