New Caledonians reject independence again
PARIS: New Caledonia voted against independence from France on Sunday for the second time in as many years, a provisional final count shows.
The ‘‘no’’ vote won 53.26% of cast votes, a narrower margin of victory than in the 2018 poll. Turnout was high at 85.6% of eligible voters.
‘‘Voters have had their say . . . I salute this show of confidence in the Republic with a profound feeling of gratitude,’’ French President Emmanuel Macron said.
The referendum was the second of up to three permitted under the 1998 Noumea Accord, which sets out a 20year path towards decolonisation.
France stood ready to organise a further vote within two years if New Caledonians wished, at which point both sides would have to accept the result, Macron said.
Holding that vote would require the approval of a third of the local assembly.
The island chain already enjoys a large degree of autonomy but depends heavily on France for matters such as defence and education.
New Caledonia became a French colony in 1853. Under French rule, the indigenous Kanaks were confined to reserves and excluded from much of the island’s economy. Their first revolt erupted in 1878, not long after the discovery of large nickel deposits that are today exploited by French miner Eramet’s subsidiary SLN.
New Caledonia’s economy is underpinned by annual French subsidies of some ¤1.3 billion ($NZ2.3 billion), nickel deposits that are estimated to represent 25% of the world’s total, and tourism. — Reuters