Posted
Sunday, December 12, the Caledonians will go to the polls for the third and last time to vote on their independence. The ballot, crucial for the future of the territory, is observed very closely in metropolitan France.
On Sunday December 12, the future of New Caledonia will be played out at the polls. For the third time, the 185,000 voters will have to decide in favor of independence or not. In the streets of Nouméa, the atmosphere is much calmer than during the last two referendums, which saw the no win by little. On electoral boards, it is also the only camp that displays its colors. The separatists call for a boycott of the ballot, in order to mourn the 200 dead from the Covid-19.
Whatever the outcome of the vote, the Nouméa agreements, signed in 1998, will lapse on Monday, and the archipelago will have a new status to build by June 30, 2023. With an economic model at the end of its rope, the independence is debated. “There is no need to be afraid. (…) Independence means getting along with everyone together with the means at hand”, believes a man. “Can you imagine if we no longer have the support of France to protect our lagoon? There is China, Japan, who will come here”, a woman says. The island is indeed home to a rare wealth, nickel, which attracts many desires. If the French government says it does not want to influence the vote, it nevertheless follows it very closely, aware that France’s place in the Pacific is at stake.