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New Caledonia held a referendum on Sunday asking residents if they wanted the territory to become independent from France
Polling stations closed in the isolated Pacific territory of New Caledonia, where people waited in lonq queues to vote in a second referendum on independence from France
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After 167 years as French territory, more than 180,000 voters registered on Sunday answered yes or no to the question: « Do you want New Caledonia to acquire full sovereignty and become independent? »
Polling stations were open until 6 p.m. local time with alcohol and weapons restrictions to tackle potential violence It will take several hours for votes to be counted and a result announced
« I waited 45 minutes It’s very important for me to vote, » said retired Germaine Le Demezet in Nouméa, the capital
I have children and grandchildren here, the future must be clear and we must know what will happen to us
The estimated turnout was around 80% on Sunday evening, according to the High Commission for the Republic of New Caledonia – six percentage points higher than its first independence referendum in 2018
At the time, 4333% of voters will opt for independence while 5667% were against
If voters reject independence again this year, another referendum could be organized by the Congress of New Caledonia within two years
New Caledonia was plagued by years of violence in the 1980s between pro-independence forces mainly supported by the indigenous Kanak community and pro-French forces largely supported by descendants of European settlers
It ended with a peace accord in 1988 which gave autonomy to three provinces, two of which are predominantly Kanak
A 1998 agreement extended that autonomy, recognizing historic injustices against the Kanaks and setting the 2018 deadline for an independence vote, with two more referendum votes by 2022
New Caledonia has approximately 269,000 inhabitants and is located 1,200 km east of Australia and 18,000 km from Paris
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New Caledonia, France, referendum, independence
News from the world – AU – Large turnout as New Caledonians vote in second independence referendum from France
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
