Next Sunday, some 185,000 Caledonians are called upon to vote on the independence of their territory on the occasion of the third and last self-determination referendum provided for by the Noumea agreement.
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In a week, a crucial election will be held in this overseas territory located 16,000 kilometers from France. Next Sunday, some 185,000 voters will have to answer yes or no to this question: “Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?” But the context is tense. THEhe separatists call on their supporters not to participate in the vote.
UN observers will be present and a monitoring commission made up of five members and field delegates has been created especially for this closely watched ballot. Francis Lamy, Councilor of State, chairs this “commission to control the organization and conduct of the consultation on the accession of New Caledonia to full sovereignty”. This will be his third referendum on the independence of New Caledonia, after those of 2020 and 2018. It will rely on its 260 delegates – 252 from metropolitan France and eight recruited locally – who will ensure that there are no irregularities on polling day. “It is these delegates who allow the commission to be present throughout the territory on polling day and thus to certify its smooth running, he explains. I have no particular fears, based on the experience of the two previous referendums, which overall went well, thanks in particular to the very important work of all the mayors of New Caledonia that I have in each time all encountered. “
The separatists guaranteed the smooth running of the election in the municipalities they manage, even if they call on their supporters this time not to vote. This will not detract from the legitimacy of the referendum result, specifies Francis Lamy: “If this referendum is contested, it can only legally be contested before the Council of State, which will say whether the referendum is valid or not.” The Council of State, urgently seized last Friday by about 150 citizens of New Caledonia, mostly Kanaks, who ask for the postponement of the referendum because of the health situation. The ballot, for the time being, is still scheduled for December 12.