France’s ‘Pacific pebble’ rejects independence
The Pacific islands of New Caledonia voted on Sunday to remain part of France in an independence referendum that showed support for Paris in one of its many far-flung but strategic outposts.
About 18,000km from the French mainland, New Caledonia is home to a quarter of the world’s known supplies of nickel a vital electronics component and a foothold for France in the Pacific where China is increasing its influence.
On the final count, 56.4% of people had rejected the proposition that New Caledonia become independent, a clear but smaller-than-expected victory for loyalists to the mainland.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “immense pride that we have taken this historic step together” in a televised address to the nation, adding it was “a sign of confidence in the French republic, in its future and its values”.
Despite being an archipelago of islands, New Caledonia is sometimes referred to in France as “the pebble” and is home to about 175,000 people.
Turnout was high for the vote, at more than 80%. But there are fears that the referendum could inflame tensions between indigenous Kanak people, who tend to favour independence, and the white population that has settled since France annexed the islands in 1853.
Several cars were burned on Sunday and a few incidents of stone-throwing were reported, local authorities said, but the vote was otherwise peaceful.
Tensions in New Caledonia boiled over into ethnic strife in the 1980s, which claimed more than 70 lives. It led to the 1998 Noumea Accord which paved the way for a steady devolution of powers, as well as Sunday’s referendum and possibly two others before 2022.
“The Kanaks have become aware that they need to show their determination to be free at last,” Alosio Sako, head of the pro-independence movement FLNKS, said after the results were announced.
Polls had forecast a bigger victory between 63%-75% for the no campaign.
“We’re a short step away from victory and there are still two votes to come,” Sako said, referring to the other two referendums which are possible under the Noumea Accord.
In recent years, France has faced protests and calls for independence in several of its overseas territories, which are a legacy of the country’s colonial history and are sometimes dubbed “the confetti of the French empire”.
French Guiana in South America and the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte have been rocked by major protests over living standards and perceived neglect.
Closer to home, the Paris government also faces renewed calls for independence from nationalists on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, which have been rebuffed by Macron.
Macron largely stayed clear of the campaign in New Caledonia, but during a visit to Noumea in May Macron declared “France would be less beautiful” without the territory.
He also raised concerns over increasing Chinese influence in the Pacific, where Beijing has invested heavily in Vanuatu, a territory which broke from France and Britain in 1980.
THE KANAKS HAVE BECOME AWARE THAT THEY NEED TO SHOW DETERMINATION TO BE FREE AT LAST. WE’RE A SHORT STEP AWAY FROM VICTORY
56.4 is the percentage of voters who rejected New Caledonia becoming independent in a vote on Sunday