(Nouméa) New Caledonia overwhelmingly voted no to independence on Sunday in the last self-determination referendum, marked by a record abstention after the call from the separatists to boycott the consultation supposed to close a process of decolonization started more than of 30 years in this French archipelago of the Pacific Ocean.
A result immediately greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron: “France is more beautiful because New Caledonia has decided to stay there”, he declared, while specifying that he welcomed the result with “respect and humility”. “The electoral body (being) remained deeply divided”.
According to the final results, the no to independence for this strategic French archipelago in the South Pacific won with 96.49% of the vote. The yes received 3.51%, the blank and null votes 2.99%.
During the referendums of October 4, 2020 and November 4, 2018, the “no” to independence won 56.7%, and 53.3%.
But the scale of the result should be put into perspective with regard to turnout: only 43.90% of potential voters went to the polls, a rate in free fall compared to previous referendums, the call for boycott having clearly been followed. the letter by the supporters of the yes.
“When we see the abstention rate […] legally the referendum is indisputable, politically it is a false referendum because there will be nothing settled this evening ”, commented Carine David, professor of public law at the University of the Antilles, on Franceinfo radio.
PHOTO CLOTILDE RICHALET, ASSOCIATED PRESS
But only 43.90% of potential voters went to the polls, a rate in free fall compared to previous referendums, the call to boycott the consultation clearly having been followed to the letter by yes supporters.
The separatists had warned that they would not go to the polls, citing the impossibility of organizing “a fair campaign” on an archipelago affected since September by the COVID-19 epidemic with a Kanak population plunged in mourning.
In this context, the victory of the loyalists (for the maintenance in the bosom of France) was expected.
“The promise of a common destiny must continue to guide us”, said President Macron as a “period of transition now opens which frees from the binary alternative between yes and no”.
Triple referendum
The Caledonians have been engaged in this process since the 1980s when their territory, colonized by France in the 19th century, experienced a period of unrest which culminated in the taking of hostages and the assault on Ouvéa cave in May. 1988, in which 19 Kanak militants and six soldiers were killed.
Less than two months after this tragedy, separatists and loyalists succeeded in concluding the Matignon agreements, which reviewed the distribution of powers in New Caledonia and sealed the reconciliation between the Kanaks, the first inhabitants of New Caledonia, and the Caldoches, descendants of the white settlers, after years of tension and violence. Ten years later, the signing of the Noumea Accord established a twenty-year decolonization process.
This agreement provided for a succession of three referendums to ask the inhabitants if they wanted the island “to achieve full sovereignty and become independent”.
This third referendum comes in a world that has changed a lot: on the one hand the archipelago, which has some 1.5 million km2 exclusive economic zone, is located in a region that has become strategic with the rise of China.
In addition, the nickel and cobalt it produces have become essential mining resources for the new electric battery market, a lever for the planet’s ecological transition.
A new status
In June in Paris, the Caledonian actors had decided with the State that after December 12 would open “a period of stability and convergence”. This period will prepare a “project referendum” by June 2023, which, since the no won, must relate to a new status within France.
Dialogue will not be so easy, however: the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS, separatists) and the nationalists have warned in advance that they will not recognize the result of the referendum and will contest it before international bodies.
PHOTO CLOTILDE RICHALET, ASSOCIATED PRESS
While the authorities had deployed an impressive security device – 2000 gendarmes and police, 130 vehicles, 30 armored vehicles and air resources – for fear of seeing the archipelago ignite, the ballot took place without incident.
New Caledonia has been included since 1986 on the list of non-self-governing territories to be decolonized by the UN, which has also dispatched experts to ensure the proper conduct of the ballot.
The separatists also warned that they rejected any meeting, before the presidential election in April 2022, with the French Minister of Overseas.
“I realize that they need to take time […] nevertheless, some topical issues are urgent and require a rapid dialogue with local institutions and political groups, ”said Overseas Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who arrived in Nouméa on Friday.
While the authorities had deployed an impressive security device – 2000 gendarmes and police, 130 vehicles, 30 armored vehicles and air resources – for fear of seeing the archipelago ignite, the ballot took place without incident.
In the loyalist camp, the president of the southern province Sonia Backès welcomed Sunday evening to see that “the sad dreams of independence have been shattered”.
“We have decided in our heart and conscience to remain French. […] It is no longer negotiable. And that’s the meaning of the story! “, She added, inviting the separatists” to build a new project “.
In Paris, the political class widely welcomed the victory of the no, the radical left however judging the result “not legitimate” because of the very high rate of abstention.