People wait in line to cast their vote in the referendum on independence on the French South Pacific territory of New Caledonia, in Noumea on October 4, 2020. - The French South Pacific territory of New Caledonia votes in an independence referendum on October 4, 2020, which is expected to reject breaking away from France after almost 170 years despite rising support for the move. (Photo by Theo Rouby / AFP)
NOUMEA: Polls closed Sunday in New Caledonia’s independence referendum, with voters in the French South Pacific territory expected to reject breaking away from France after almost 170 years despite rising support for the move.
Enthusiasm was high and authorities said turnout was about 80 percent an hour before voting ended -- a full six points higher than in its first independence referendum held in 2018 -- leaving people to form long queues to cast their ballots.
“I waited 45 minutes. It’s very important for me to vote,” said retiree Germaine Le Demezet in the capital Noumea. “I have children and grandchildren here, the future needs to be clear and we need to know what’s going to happen to us.” It will take several hours for the votes to be tallied and the result to be announced.
Sunday’s referendum is part of a carefully negotiated de-colonisation plan agreed in 1998, which ended a deadly conflict between the mostly pro-independence indigenous Kanak population and the descendants of European settlers in the 1980s.
That violence culminated in a bloody, drawn-out hostage crisis in 1988 that saw 19 separatists killed on one side, and six police and special forces on the other. New Caledonians voted against independence in the referendum two years ago, with “no” securing about 57 percent.
But the result marked a shift towards pro-independence sympathies, raising campaigners’ hopes that this time it could manage to break free.
Political observers say voters are likely to reject independence again, although there have been no opinion polls to give guidance.
If the “no” vote does win, another referendum can be held by 2022 so long as the poll is requested by at least a third of the local legislature. (AFP)
