Noumea: Voters of the French island region New Caledonia Heavy chose Sunday to be part of France, boycotted by pro-independence forces in a referendum and closely watched around the South Pacific.
Separatist activists had urged a delay in the vote because of the pandemic, and were outraged that what they said were the French government’s efforts to influence the campaign. So he called upon his supporters to stay away from the polling stations.
And he did. With three-quarters of the votes counted, 91% of those taking part chose to remain in France, according to regional officials. The overall turnout was only 41%, less than half the number seen in the independence referendum last year, where support for secession stood at 46.7%.
keep new Scotland The Indo-Pacific is critical of French geopolitical ambitions, and French President Emmanuel Macron was due to deliver a national speech later on Sunday.
The vote was overseen by the United Nations and regional powers, amid global efforts and growing Chinese influence in the region. New Caledonia, colonized by Napoleon’s nephews in the 19th century, is a vast archipelago of about 270,000 people east of Australia that is 10 time zones ahead of Paris and hosts a French military base.
Sunday’s vote was the third and last in a decades-long colonization process sparked by violence in 1988, which gave New Caledonia broad autonomy under the Noumea Accords by the French government. The process was intended to resolve tensions between the independence-seeking native Kanakas and those who wanted the region to remain part of France.
The process does not end with the final referendum. The state, separatists and non-separatists now have 18 months to negotiate a new status for the region and its institutions within France.
A tropical storm warning also dampened enthusiasm for the vote. Lines broke out from some polling stations as palm trees swayed on the streets of the regional capital, Noumea. But voting on the others was downright difficult.
In 307 polling stations across the archipelago, people were asked the question: “Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?” Masks and social distancing measures were required.
Campaign and polling day were unusually quiet due to boycott calls.
“There are far fewer people” than in the last referendum, said assessor Laura Wendegou at a polling station welcoming New Caledonians from the Loyalty Islands. “The opening was very quiet.”
But voters at Noumea City Hall cast their vote at 6.30 am to queue up to cast their vote.
In the first such referendum in 2018, 43.6% of voters supported independence, and 46.7% supported it in the second vote held in 2020. While support for the ‘yes’ vote was growing, the region’s first coronavirus outbreak occurred in September. disturbed the political debate. Until then, New Caledonia was one of the few virus-free places left on the planet.
As of November, the archipelago had reported 271 COVID-19 deaths, and the regional senate decreed a year of traditional Kanak mourning. Independence activists felt that they could not campaign in honor of their dead, and demanded a postponement of the referendum.
But pro-France groups insist the vote should take place as scheduled to end uncertainty over New Caledonia’s future and boost its economic prospects. Pro-independence activists announced they would refuse to participate, accusing the government of violating neutrality by imposing a referendum date and publishing a document seen as casting independence’s consequences in a negative light. .
France is trying to strengthen its presence in the Indo-Pacific region after it lost a multi-billion dollar submarine contract due to Australia’s partnership with the United States and the UK. In this area, there was a major setback for France. New Caledonia hosts one of two French military bases in the Pacific.
The United Nations has backed New Caledonia’s colonization process and sent election observers to monitor Sunday’s vote. The Pacific Islands Forum also sent a delegation to oversee the voting.
Separatist activists had urged a delay in the vote because of the pandemic, and were outraged that what they said were the French government’s efforts to influence the campaign. So he called upon his supporters to stay away from the polling stations.
And he did. With three-quarters of the votes counted, 91% of those taking part chose to remain in France, according to regional officials. The overall turnout was only 41%, less than half the number seen in the independence referendum last year, where support for secession stood at 46.7%.
keep new Scotland The Indo-Pacific is critical of French geopolitical ambitions, and French President Emmanuel Macron was due to deliver a national speech later on Sunday.
The vote was overseen by the United Nations and regional powers, amid global efforts and growing Chinese influence in the region. New Caledonia, colonized by Napoleon’s nephews in the 19th century, is a vast archipelago of about 270,000 people east of Australia that is 10 time zones ahead of Paris and hosts a French military base.
Sunday’s vote was the third and last in a decades-long colonization process sparked by violence in 1988, which gave New Caledonia broad autonomy under the Noumea Accords by the French government. The process was intended to resolve tensions between the independence-seeking native Kanakas and those who wanted the region to remain part of France.
The process does not end with the final referendum. The state, separatists and non-separatists now have 18 months to negotiate a new status for the region and its institutions within France.
A tropical storm warning also dampened enthusiasm for the vote. Lines broke out from some polling stations as palm trees swayed on the streets of the regional capital, Noumea. But voting on the others was downright difficult.
In 307 polling stations across the archipelago, people were asked the question: “Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?” Masks and social distancing measures were required.
Campaign and polling day were unusually quiet due to boycott calls.
“There are far fewer people” than in the last referendum, said assessor Laura Wendegou at a polling station welcoming New Caledonians from the Loyalty Islands. “The opening was very quiet.”
But voters at Noumea City Hall cast their vote at 6.30 am to queue up to cast their vote.
In the first such referendum in 2018, 43.6% of voters supported independence, and 46.7% supported it in the second vote held in 2020. While support for the ‘yes’ vote was growing, the region’s first coronavirus outbreak occurred in September. disturbed the political debate. Until then, New Caledonia was one of the few virus-free places left on the planet.
As of November, the archipelago had reported 271 COVID-19 deaths, and the regional senate decreed a year of traditional Kanak mourning. Independence activists felt that they could not campaign in honor of their dead, and demanded a postponement of the referendum.
But pro-France groups insist the vote should take place as scheduled to end uncertainty over New Caledonia’s future and boost its economic prospects. Pro-independence activists announced they would refuse to participate, accusing the government of violating neutrality by imposing a referendum date and publishing a document seen as casting independence’s consequences in a negative light. .
France is trying to strengthen its presence in the Indo-Pacific region after it lost a multi-billion dollar submarine contract due to Australia’s partnership with the United States and the UK. In this area, there was a major setback for France. New Caledonia hosts one of two French military bases in the Pacific.
The United Nations has backed New Caledonia’s colonization process and sent election observers to monitor Sunday’s vote. The Pacific Islands Forum also sent a delegation to oversee the voting.
,