New Caledonia votes on whether to stay part of France

NOUMEA, New Caledonia — Voters successful the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia formed ballots Sunday connected whether to interruption distant from France, but pro-independence forces urged a boycott due to the fact that of the pandemic and what they called unfair actions by the state.

A tropical tempest besides threatened to dampen enthusiasm for the vote. Lines snaked retired of immoderate polling stations anyway, arsenic winds whipped thenar trees lining the streets of the determination superior Noumea. But turnout astatine immoderate polling stations was little than during 2 erstwhile referendums connected independence.

The referendum is important for French geopolitical ambitions successful Indo-Pacific, and it is being intimately watched amid increasing Chinese power successful the region. New Caledonia, colonized by Napoleon’s nephew successful the 19th century, is simply a immense archipelago of astir 270,000 radical eastbound of Australia that is 10 clip zones up of Paris.

“Do you privation New Caledonia to summation afloat sovereignty and go independent?” This was the question enactment to radical successful the archipelago’s 307 voting stations. Masks and societal distancing measures were required.

The 3 votes person been portion of a decades-long decolonization process that stemmed from unit successful 1988, which led to the French authorities handing New Caledonia wide autonomy.

The run and voting time were unusually calm due to the fact that of the boycott call.

“There are a batch little people” than during erstwhile referendums, said Laura Vendegou, assessor astatine a polling presumption welcoming New Caledonians from the Loyalty Islands. “The opening was precise calm.”

But astatine the Noumea metropolis hall, voters showed up astatine 6:30 a.m. to enactment up to vote.

In the archetypal specified referendum successful 2018, 43.6% of voters supported independence, and 46.7% favored it successful a 2nd ballot held successful 2020. While enactment for a “yes” ballot seemed to beryllium growing, the region’s archetypal coronavirus outbreak successful September threw the governmental statement into disarray. Until then, New Caledonia had been 1 of the fewer virus-free places near connected the planet.

By November, the archipelago had reported 271 COVID-19 deaths, and the determination Senate decreed a twelvemonth of accepted Kanak mourning. Independence activists felt they couldn’t run retired of respect for their dead, and demanded that the referendum beryllium postponed.

But pro-France groups insisted the ballot should instrumentality spot arsenic scheduled to extremity uncertainty implicit New Caledonia’s aboriginal and to boost its economical prospects. Pro-independence activists announced they would garbage to instrumentality part, accusing the authorities successful Paris of imposing the referendum day and violating neutrality by publishing a papers seen arsenic casting the consequences of independency successful a antagonistic light.

France is trying to cement its beingness successful the Indo-Pacific portion aft it mislaid a multibillion-dollar submarine declaration due to the fact that of a concern Australia formed with the United States and the U.K. The secretly negotiated submarine project, announced successful September and aimed astatine countering Chinese ambitions successful the region, was a immense stroke to France. New Caledonia hosts 1 of 2 French subject bases successful the Pacific.

The U.N. has supported New Caledonia’s decolonization process and sent electoral observers to show Sunday’s vote. The Pacific Islands Forum besides sent a delegation to observe the vote.