Voters have turned out in exceptional numbers to decide whether the French South Pacific territory of New Caledonia should break free from the European country which claimed it in the m
By Charlotte Antoine
November 4 2018 9:05 AM
Voters have turned out in exceptional numbers to decide whether the French South Pacific territory of New Caledonia should break free from the European country which claimed it in the mid-19th century.
The territory’s high commissioner estimated that close to three-quarters of New Caledonia’s registered voters had cast their ballots an hour before polls closed on Sunday evening – a far more robust turnout than in its provincial election of 2014.
Results are expected later on Sunday.
From Paris, French president Emmanuel Macron will speak about the territory’s future and its choice in a televised address.
The independence vote marked a milestone for the archipelago that lies east of Australia and has sun-kissed lagoons as well as a mining industry for nickel, a metal used in electronics manufacturing.
More than 174,000 registered voters were invited to answer the question: “Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?” At the 284 polling stations, they were given two slips of paper to choose between yes or no.
Voter Monette Saihulinwa said she opposed independence.
“I don’t necessarily want our lives to change,” the 50-year-old said.
Others hailed the ballot as a landmark.
“We’ve been waiting for 30 years for this vote,” said Mariola Bouyer, 34. “This vote must demonstrate that we want to live in peace, no matter our race, our roots. It’s building a country together.”
New Caledonia relies on France for its defence, law enforcement, foreign affairs, justice and education, yet has a large degree of autonomy.
New Caledonia receives about 1.3 billion euros (£1.14 billion) in French state subsidies every year, and many fear its economy would suffer if ties are severed.
The cluster of islands is home to about 270,000 people. They include the native Kanaks, about 40% of the population; people of European descent, about 27%; and others from Asian countries and Pacific islands.
The archipelago became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III – Napoleon’s nephew and heir – and was used for decades as a prison colony.
It became an overseas territory after the Second World War, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.
Most Kanaks have tended to back independence, while most descendants of European settlers have favoured keeping the French connection. Under French colonial rule, the Kanaks suffered under strict segregation policies and faced discrimination.
The referendum is the result of a process that started 30 years ago to end years of violence between those for and against separating from France.
The violence, which has claimed more than 70 lives, prompted a 1988 deal between rival loyalist and pro-independence factions. Another agreement a decade later included plans for an independence referendum.
If voters say no to independence on Sunday, the 1998 agreement allows two more self-determination referendums to be held by 2022.
Press Association
By Associated Press Reporters Indonesian authorities have extended the search for victims of the Lion Air crash as well as the plane’s cockpit voice recorder.
Geert De Clercq France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party jumped ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s LREM for the first time in a poll of voting intentions for May 2019 European Parliament elections.
By Nicholas Riccardi and Bryan Slodysko Campaigners are cranking up their efforts on the final weekend before the 2018 US mid-term elections, with both Republicans and Democrats warning of dire consequences should they lose.
The Spanish teenager who managed to…
Is there something ominous on the political…
Voters have turned out in exceptional…
Indonesian authorities have extended the search for victims of the Lion Air crash…
France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party…
Campaigners are cranking up their efforts on the…
Thousands of Iranians have staged a rally in Tehran marking the anniversary of the…
A 4,000-strong caravan of Central American migrants travelling through Mexico…
Voters in New Caledonia are deciding whether the French territory in the…
An elaborate funeral has begun for Thai billionaire and…
About 100 people gathered in a cold drizzle for what was called a “healing service”…
The lawyer for a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy charges after spending…
Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson says…
This is the shocking moment a US woman…
Underwater footage shows divers recovering…
Police say a brawl between a passenger…
India has unveiled the world’s tallest statue.
A man has been jailed for more than 10 years after an armed robbery at a…
At least nine people have been killed over…
Footage has emerged of a cyclist being…
The mother of a toddler abducted in 1987 said…
US President Donald Trump and first lady…
