I saw this happening in real-life. A minority political party insists on dividing a state and a minority of people do support it. Majority parties didn't dare to go against it for the fear of loosing votes from those minority people. When a referendum was called for, no one spoke against the division though a large majority of people and political parties did feel it as crazy. Also they didn't believe it would really happen. But it happened and the state is divided against the feelings of the people. People are still a state of shock.
