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(NOUMEA, New Caledonia) – A majority of voters from the South Pacific south of New Caledonia chose to be part of France instead of supporting independence Sunday, a turning point that brought the French President Emmanuel Macron to promise an in-depth dialogue on the future of the archipelago.
The final results indicate that 56.4% of the voters who participated in the referendum decided to maintain ties with the country that governed New Caledonia since the mid-19th century and 43.6% supported independence, said the Office of the High Commissioner.
"I ask everyone to look to the future to build New Caledonia tomorrow," said Macron, speaking from the Elysee in Paris. "The spirit of dialogue is the only winner."
More than 174,000 registered voters were invited to answer the question: "Do you want New Caledonia to acquire full sovereignty and become independent?"
The referendum attracted a record turnout of 80.6% – so many voters that some polling stations in the capital, Noumea, had to stay open about an hour longer than expected to cope with the hustle and bustle.
The vote itself marked a milestone in the three decades of decolonization in New Caledonia, initiated by the mistreatment inflicted by Europeans on the Kanak indigenous people of the region. New Caledonia, an archipelago east of Australia, has a nickel mining industry and sunlit lagoons.
The High Commissioner's office reported only limited acts of agitation in Nouméa, given the count of votes: seven cars burned, roads closed and two throwing stones. But otherwise, the vote was extremely peaceful.
Congratulating both sides on their "responsible" campaigns, Macron said "contempt and violence" were the only losers in the historic poll.
The French Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, will meet Monday the Caledonian authorities to discuss the political future of the territory of 270 000 inhabitants.
New Caledonia receives about 1.3 billion euros in subsidies from the French state each year, and many feared that the economy would suffer if links were broken.
Among the residents of the region are the Kanaks, who make up about 40% of the population, the people of European descent, who make up about 27% of the population, as well as other people from Asian and Caribbean countries. of the Pacific Islands.
Voter Monette Saihulinwa said she objected to independence.
"I do not necessarily want our lives to change," said the 50-year-old.
Others have welcomed the vote as historic.
"We have been waiting for this vote for 30 years," said Mariola Bouyer, 34. "This vote must show that we want to live in peace, no matter what our race, our roots. It's building a country together. "
The referendum was the result of a process begun 30 years ago to end the years of violence between independence supporters and opponents, which had totaled more than 70 deaths. The two sides agreed on a 1988 agreement and another agreement a decade later provided for a referendum on independence.
The archipelago of New Caledonia became French in 1853 under the Emperor Napoleon III – his nephew and heir to Napoleon – and was used for decades as a penal colony.
It became an overseas territory after the Second World War and granted French nationality to all Kanaks in 1957. Under the French colonial regime, Kanaks were subjected to a policy of strict segregation and were discriminated against. .
