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The islanders of France's French Pacific territory in New Caledonia on Sunday rejected independence in a referendum that revealed weaker support than expected in Paris in this strategic and resource-rich outpost.
In the end, 56.4% of residents rejected the idea that New Caledonia, located about 18,000 kilometers from the French mainland, would become independent. The participation rate was high at 80.63%.
President Emmanuel Macron said "his immense pride in having made this historic step together" in a speech to the nation, adding that it was "a sign of confidence in the French republic, in its future and its values".
The island is home to a quarter of the world's known nickel reserves – an essential electronic component – and is a point of support for France in the Pacific, where China is gaining influence.
But the profit margin in New Caledonia, sometimes called in France "the pebble", could cause concern in Paris, as well as in Australia, alarmed by the Beijing projects in the Pacific and its investments in the island states. .
The polls predicted that 63 to 75 percent of New Caledonians would vote "no" on whether the archipelago should "achieve full sovereignty and become independent".
Under a 1998 agreement titled "Noumea Accord, aimed at delegating powers to the territory," two more votes on independence can be held by 2022 – a leader of the government. right-wing independence should invoke.
"We are two steps from the victory and there are still two votes," said Alosio Sako, leader of the separatist movement FLNKS, after the announcement of the results.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe arrived Monday on the island where he will meet the political forces on both sides of the vote for independence to discuss the future of the territory.
– Balancing China in the Pacific? –
In addition to the fact that it houses French troops and is a source of nickel, this territory gives France a vast exclusive economic zone in the Pacific and rich fishing resources.
Macron went on the island in May, but remained largely out of the country.
However, he expressed concern about China's growing influence in the Pacific, where Beijing invested heavily in Vanuatu, a territory separated from France and Britain in 1980.
Accusing that the US has "turned its back on the region in recent months," Macron said China "is gradually building its hegemony," suggesting that an independent New Caledonia could be the next target. from Beijing.
During his visits to New Delhi and Canberra since his takeover last year, Macron spoke of the French presence in the Pacific to propose an axis of Asian democratic maritime powers including India and Japan. 39; Australia.
– Ethnic tensions –
It was feared that the referendum in New Caledonia would make tensions between the Kanak Indigenous people, which tends to promote independence, and the white population that has settled since France annexed the islands in 1853. .
Several cars were burned and two stone-throwing incidents were reported Sunday night, local authorities said, but the vote was peaceful.
Tensions in New Caledonia degenerated into ethnic conflict in the 1980s, killing more than 70 people.
This led to the 1998 Noumea Accord, which paved the way for regular decentralization of powers, as well as Sunday's referendum and possibly two more before 2022.
In recent years, France has had to face protests and demands for independence in many of its overseas territories, a legacy of the country's colonial history and sometimes dubbed "the Confetti from the French Empire ".
French Guiana in South America and the archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean were shaken by protests against the standard of living and a sense of neglect.
Closer to home, the Parisian government is also facing new calls for the independence of the nationalists of Corsica, Mediterranean countries, which have been rejected by Macron.
The separatists had urged Kanak voters to choose Kanaky's self-determination, as well as their name for New Caledonia, and to get rid of the shackles of "colonial" authorities in Paris.
The Kanak community is economically disadvantaged compared to the white population and is experiencing dropout rates, chronic unemployment and poor housing conditions.
However, indigenous peoples account for less than 50% of the electorate and some Kanaks remain in France, particularly because of the 1.3 billion euros (1.5 billion dollars) that the state French gives each year to the islands.
"I'm not sure we have all the assets to succeed," said Marc Gnipate, a 62-year-old retiree.
burs-adp / ecl / amu
