The participation was 43.90%, after the calls of the independentistas to boycott the consultation.
The French territory of New Caledonia, in the Pacific Ocean, voted not to become independent from France in the third and last referendum held on Sunday, with a record abstention after calls by pro-independence supporters to boycott the consultation.
He did not win by 96.49%, according to final official results. The yes obtained 3.51% of the votes and 2.99% of blank or annulled votes were registered.
The turnout was 43.90%, in free fall in relation to the two preceding referendums.
“France is more beautiful because New Caledonia has decided to stay,” French President Emmanuel Macron said after the results were released.
In a solemn address from the Elysee, Macron called for a “respectful and humble” reception of the result, noting that “the electorate has remained deeply divided” in the archipelago.
Some 2,000 kilometers east of Australia, the more than 184,000 voters in this archipelago were called to answer the question: “Do you want New Caledonia to obtain its absolute sovereignty and be independent?”
It is the third referendum since the Matignon Accords of 1988, which sought to close a crisis between indigenous people and descendants of settlers. In the previous two he won no.
The pro-independence formations urged a boycott of the vote since they had asked for the postponement of the consultation, and this has favored supporters to remain in France.
“This referendum doesn’t make much sense because half the population decided not to vote,” said Cathy, a bookseller in Noumea.
There, the queues at the opening of schools quickly vanished, with voters arriving by the drop of a hat. The authorities deployed a security device with 2,000 agents on that island.
This presence “is a provocation for young people,” an inhabitant of Saint-Louis, an indigenous tribe at the gates of Noumea that experienced strong incidents in the first referendum, told AFP.
This referendum comes at a time of great tension between France and its allies in the Pacific area. Paris wants to continue to play a greater role in this ocean thanks to its overseas territories, including New Caledonia.
President Emmanuel Macron insisted that they do not take sides in the referendum and promised “a life in common” between France and New Caledonia regardless of the outcome.
Analysts suspect that an independent New Caledonia could draw closer to China, which is seeking to invest in its mineral resources. Beijing is already the largest customer for the export of metals from New Caledonia, especially nickel. (I)
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