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MLoueckhote, 61, pointed out that the state was injecting around £ 1.15 billion a year into New Caledonia. "The islanders are helped, supported and maintained 100% by the public authorities. So when people talk to me about colonization, I do not really understand. What would become of the Kanak dignity if these funds ceased to come and we had to go begging? "
The descendants of European settlers generally enjoy a higher quality of life than the Kanak, who had previously undergone strict segregation policies.
More than 1,000 gendarmes have been deployed to maintain order over the weekend and stores are prohibited from selling alcohol.
Officially, the government is neutral and offers no guidance on how to vote. Some 250 French officials and a dozen UN observers will monitor the polls.
President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation Sunday on television after the announcement of the result.
His refusal to join the campaign for New Caledonia to remain a part of France was criticized by Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the conservative Republican Party, and Marine Le Pen of the far right national rally.
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