[ad_1]
The French Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, went to New Caledonia on Monday to hail the rejection of independence by the Pacific territory – but the referendum closer than expected raises questions as to what is happening in the country. France's hold on the strategic islands.
The final results show that 56.7% of voters chose to remain French in Sunday's referendum on the archipelago, which enjoys a quarter of the world's known nickel reserves, an essential electronic component.
The result was much tighter than polls had predicted from 63 to 75 votes, "raising questions about support for France in one of its overseas territories spread in the world.
Pierre-Christophe Pantz, an expert in geopolitics, said the results "would force anti-separatists to review their ratings."
"It is clear that we can not talk about things with a 43% vote (for independence) in the same way as if we had 30%," he said.
The pro-France campaign focused on the € 1.3 billion that Paris pays into local coffers each year, while some stressed the need to balance the growing Chinese ambitions in the Pacific.
Philippe, who came from Vietnam for talks with both parties in the independence debate, nevertheless called the vote a "true democratic success", which allowed communities to debate the issue "without tearing themselves apart".
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed "immense pride" in the result, calling it "a sign of confidence in the French Republic, its future and its values".
The island's independence supporters, lined with beautiful beaches, are mostly of Kanak ethnic origin, but they make up less than half of the 269,000 inhabitants.
White residents – descendants of the first European settlers as well as newcomers – wish, for the most part, to remain French, joined by other minorities in the Pacific.
The referendum was the culmination of a 1998 peace agreement, which followed a quasi-civil war between Kanaks and whites that killed more than 70 people in the 1980s.
The "Nouméa" agreement also paved the way for increasing island autonomy, with large areas of policy under the control of local authorities.
Crucially for the separatists, the agreement provides for two more votes on independence before 2022 – which means, they insist, that they could still realize their dream of separating from France.
– Consider already a second vote –
On Sunday, pro-independence leaders promised to "do everything in their power" by calling for a new referendum.
Patrick Jean, a former law professor and expert on the 1998 accord, predicted that "positions will get tougher" on both sides.
"I wish Emmanuel Macron and Edouard Philippe the best of luck in trying to convince the FLNKS (the Kanak Liberation Front) to abandon the idea of holding new referendums before the elections of May 2019," he said. he declared.
New Caledonia will vote for new members of its local congress during these elections.
The separatist factions currently occupy 25 of the 54 seats, but only one third – 18 votes – is needed to trigger a new referendum on independence.
Philippe invited all political factions in Paris in December for talks with the government, "in order to collectively draw the conclusions of the referendum".
The turnout reached 80.63% in Sunday's vote, the highest ever reached in the territory.
But analysts point out that the Kanak vote, though high, has been weakened by the fact that a pro-independence faction has urged voters to abstain instead of taking part in a "joke" referendum.
In the eastern islands, where the Kanak constitute a large majority, the participation rate was 20 points lower than the overall participation rate.
"The separatists are even more determined than before to ask for a second and third referendum," said separatist MP Louis Mapou.
"We will start preparing the bride tomorrow – she will be even more beautiful in 2020."
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in conversation with students in Noumea Monday, a day after New Caledonia voted to stay in France
