02 Oct 2020 07:08PMNOUMEA, New Caledonia: Voters in New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific, will choose whether they want independence from France in a referendum that marks a milestone in a three-decade decolonisation effort.
No opinion polls have been released, but two years ago, 56.4 per cent of voters who participated in a similar referendum chose to keep ties with Paris - 16,000km and nine times zones away - instead of backing independence. Otherwise, New Caledonia will remain a French territory - and therefore part of the European Union - with its residents keeping French citizenship.
A leading figure in the independence camp, Rock Wamytan, the 70-year-old president of the Congress of New Caledonia, said “we have shown that we could manage an independent country. For 30 years, we are getting ready and we are ready." A more moderate party, Caledonie ensemble , is campaigning for a “no” to independence while insisting on the need to build a “common future.”
While France is one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries, with around 32,000 confirmed deaths, New Caledonia has reported no virus-related deaths. Local authorities have reported 27 cases of infection in total, all concerning travellers arriving in the archipelago.
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