By Mathieu Rosemain
PARIS (Reuters) - The South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia voted against independence from France on Sunday for the second time in as many years, a provisional final count showed.
A surprise “yes” vote would have deprived Paris of a foothold in a region where China is expanding its influence, and dented the pride of a colonial power whose reach once spanned large parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The “no” vote won 53.26% of votes cast votes, a narrower margin of victory than in the 2018 poll.
The result will bring relief to President Emmanuel Macron’s government, whose attention had been focused on the coronavirus pandemic in the run-up to the referendum.
“Voters have had their say. They confirmed their wish to keep New Caledonia a part of France. As head of state, I salute this show of confidence in the Republic with a profound feeling of gratitude,” Macron said in a televised statement.
New Caledonia became a French colony in 1853. Tensions have long run deep between pro-independence indigenous Kanaks and descendants of colonial settlers who remain loyal to Paris.
Sunday’s referendum was the second of up to three permitted under the terms of the 1998 Noumea Accord, an agreement enshrined in France’s constitution and which set out a 20-year path towards decolonisation.
France stood ready to organise a further vote within two years if that was the wish of New Caledonians, at which point both sides would have to accept the result, Macron said.
“We have two years to look to the future,” the president continued.
The island chain already enjoys a large degree of autonomy but depends heavily on France for matters such as defence and education.
Turnout was high at 85.6% of eligible voters - after a stronger-than-expected independence vote in the 2018 referendum.
New Caledonia lies some 1,200 km (750 miles) east of Australia and 20,000 km (12,500 miles) from Paris.
Under French colonial rule the Kanaks were confined to reserves and excluded from much of the island’s economy. The first revolt erupted in 1878, not long after the discovery of large nickel deposits that are today exploited by French miner Eramet’s subsidiary SLN.
Today, its economy is underpinned by annual French subsidies of some 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) and nickel deposits that are estimated to represent 25% of the world’s total, and tourism.
The territory has, however, largely cut itself off from the outside world to shield itself from the coronavirus. It has registered only 27 cases of COVID-19.
For a third referendum to take place, a third of the local assembly in New Caledonia must vote in favour of one.
Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Mathieu Rosemain in Paris; Writing by Lidia Kelly and Richard Lough Editing by William Mallard and Angus MacSwan
New Caledonia votes on becoming independent from France
CHARLOTTE ANTOINE-PERRON, Associated Press •October 4, 2020
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New Caledonia France Referendum
A woman casts her ballot in a voting station of Noumea, New Caledonia, Sunday, Oct.4, 2020. Voters in New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific, were deciding Sunday whether they want independence from France in a referendum that marks a milestone in a three-decade decolonization effort. If voters choose independence, a transition period will immediately open so that the archipelago can get ready for its future status. Otherwise, New Caledonia will remain a French territory. (AP Photo/Mathurin Derel)
NOUMEA, New Caledonia (AP) — Voters in New Caledonia turned out in large numbers Sunday to decide whether the archipelago in the South Pacific should get independence from France and break ties that were first established in the mid-19th century.
Sunday's independence referendum is part of a three-decade decolonization effort aimed at settling tensions on the archipelago between native Kanaks seeking independence and residents willing to remain in France.
More than 180,000 voters were invited to answer the question: “Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?”
“Today is not a day like any other. Everyone woke up with the will to express oneself (through the vote). This is a historic day,” Robert Wayaridri, 60, told The Associated Press.
Across the archipelago, horns and cheers could be heard all day in the streets, and some people waved pro-independence flags in a relaxed atmosphere.
The FLNKS movement leading the independence campaign called on its supporters to stay “calm and respectful.”
Polling stations closed at 6 p.m. (9 a.m. in mainland France). Results are expected later Sunday.
If voters choose independence, a transition period will immediately begin so that the archipelago can get ready for its future status. Otherwise, New Caledonia will remain a French territory.
Corine Florentin, who was born in Noumea 52 years ago, said she voted against independence because she wants to “remain French.”
"We can live together, all races together, and design our common future,” she said.
A student at the University of New Caledonia, Guillaume Paul, 18, also voted “no” because he wants the archipelago to keep its ties with France.
“What would the country become if it was independent? There is a real danger that without the financing brought by France, the university would disappear, ” he said.
But Joachim Neimbo, 22, was in favor of independence.
“I voted yes, because that’s my people’s combat. We want the recognition of our identity, our culture. I think we are able to manage ourselves,” he said.
Taguy Wayenece, 25, also voted “yes” to independence.
“We need to return to tradition, to working in the fields, to stay with the tribe. Modern life is too complicated for us," he said.
Two years ago, 56.4% of voters who participated in a similar referendum chose to keep the region's ties with Paris.
Both referendums are the final steps of a process that started 30 years ago after years of violence that pitched pro-independence Kanak activists against those willing to remain in France.
The archipelago now counts 270,000 inhabitants, including both native Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination, and descendants of European colonizers.
New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III — Napoleon’s nephew and heir — and was used for decades as a prison colony.
If voters choose independence, a transition period will immediately begin so that the archipelago can get ready for its future status. Otherwise, New Caledonia will remain a French territory.
Corine Florentin, who was born in Noumea 52 years ago, said she voted against independence because she wants to “remain French.”
"We can live together, all races together, and design our common future,” she said.
A student at the University of New Caledonia, Guillaume Paul, 18, also voted “no” because he wants the archipelago to keep its ties with France.
“What would the country become if it was independent? There is a real danger that without the financing brought by France, the university would disappear, ” he said.
But Joachim Neimbo, 22, was in favor of independence.
“I voted yes, because that’s my people’s combat. We want the recognition of our identity, our culture. I think we are able to manage ourselves,” he said.
Taguy Wayenece, 25, also voted “yes” to independence.
“We need to return to tradition, to working in the fields, to stay with the tribe. Modern life is too complicated for us," he said.
Two years ago, 56.4% of voters who participated in a similar referendum chose to keep the region's ties with Paris.
Both referendums are the final steps of a process that started 30 years ago after years of violence that pitched pro-independence Kanak activists against those willing to remain in France.
The archipelago now counts 270,000 inhabitants, including both native Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination, and descendants of European colonizers.
New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III — Napoleon’s nephew and heir — and was used for decades as a prison colony.
18th Brunaire of Louis Bonaparte - Marxists Internet Archive
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/18th-Bru… · PDF fileThe Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte Written: December 1851-March 1852; Source: Chapters 1 & 7 are translated by Saul K. Padover from the German edition of 1869; Chapters 2 through 6 are based on the third edition, prepared by Engels (1885), as translated and published by Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1937; First Published: First issue of Die Revolution, 1852, New York; Transcription ...
It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.
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