Curacao's voters narrowly endorsed a plan to gain more political autonomy from the Netherlands as tens of thousands of islanders turned out for a nonbinding referendum Friday.

More than 41,000 voters supported a 2006 pact that granted the Caribbean island more freedom while preserving its ties to the Dutch kingdom. About 38,000 people voted against the plan, according to the elections commission.

"We won. The people decided that the process will continue," said one voter, Ersilia de Lannoy. "We are going to be an autonomous country."

The vote is largely symbolic because the Netherlands Antilles _ comprising Curacao, Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten _ has been self-governing for 55 years except on matters of defense and foreign policy.

The autonomy arrangement is similar to what the nearby Dutch island of Aruba has had since 1986.

But opponents said the close result in the referendum, in which about two-thirds of registered voters participated, meant their voice should be heard.

"You cannot ignore 48 percent," said Charles Cooper, a voter who opposed the autonomy question, referring to the percentage who rejected the plan. "We believe the process has to be stopped."

The opposition criticized the proposal because a $2.6 billion debt relief deal with the Netherlands would allow the Dutch to supervise the island's future spending habits.

Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage said the Netherlands offered the relief to help stabilize Curacao when it achieves autonomy, and the fiscal oversight can end in five years.

Many people on Curacao, which is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) off Venezuela's coast, feel their local government contributes more than the other islands to the Antillean government and does not get a fair return.

Both Curacao and St. Maarten have sought to stand on their own, while the three smaller islands say they feel overlooked by the Antillean government based in Curacao and prefer that the Netherlands administer them directly.