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France’s Pacific archipelago territory New Caledonia voted overwhelmingly Sunday to reject independence in a referendum decision welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron.
Final results showed 96.5 percent voted to stay French, with 3.5 percent backing independence and about 3 percent of votes void. The result was clouded by a boycott by leading pro-independence parties, who claimed the coronavirus pandemic prevented a fair ballot. Turnout was only 44 percent.
Nevertheless, Macron said the result was unequivocal. “New Caledonia will therefore remain French,” he said in a televised address. “The men and women of New Caledonia have chosen to stay French, they have chosen freely.”
Sunday’s vote marks the third time the islanders have voted against independence in barely three years. Previous referendums were much closer, with 56.7 percent voting for France in November 2018, and 53.5 percent in October 2020.
The votes were part of an agreement concluded with local political leaders in 1998 that offered up to three shots at independence.
With the latest signaling the “legal end” of that process, Macron said the territory was entering “a new stage.” Sébastien Lecornu, the French government minister for overseas territories, is in New Caledonia and will meet with local leaders “to build a response to the institutional and legal questions” that have been raised, the president said.
He promised French support to help the territory recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, build economic progress and “establish a place in the Indo-Pacific region, which is undergoing fundamental changes and faces strong tensions.”
Politicians loyal to France had warned the nickel-rich archipelago could fall under Chinese influence, if it voted for independence.
Source: Politico
