Independence referendum in New Caledonia: Live update and analysis

4 Oct, 2020 | Breaking News, New Caledonia, Politics

Independence referendum in New Caledonia: Live update and analysis

5:30 pm
According to the High Commission of the Republic, the estimated participation rate at 5 pm is 76,63%. For the record, the turnout in the 2018 referendum independence was 73,68% of the voting at the same time.

12:30 pm
According to the High Commission of the Republic, the estimated participation rate at 12 pm is 49.40%. For the record, the turnout in the 2018 referendum independence was 41.81% of the voting at 12 o’clock.

> 10 am
Since 8 am this morning, Caledonians citizen are voting in the referendum on self-determination. They have to answer Yes or No to the question : “Do you want New Caledonia to attain full sovereignty and become independent?”

France or independence
Under the conditions of the Noumea Accord, signed in 1998, and which gave additional autonomy to the island, the local population will have to decide whether to remain in France or to become an independent state.

+18,000 votes
The first of the three independence referendum was held on 4 November 2018. The No to independence won at 56.7% (some 18,000 votes more) against the 43.3% in favor of the Yes.

180,598 New Caledonians are called to vote for this second referendum of self-determination. Election posters near the cathedral of Nouméa, capital city of New Caledonia.

Election posters near the cathedral of Nouméa, capital city of New Caledonia.

Citizens or not
180,640 people are registered on the “special list of electors for the consultation”, approximately two-thirds of New Caledonia’s population. About 41,000 people are denied the vote because they were not born in Caledonia or arrived after 1994.

Referendum day

304 polling stations located on 241 locations across the country will be open from 8 am to 6 pm this Sunday, October 4. 5,600 more voters than in November 2018 are registered on the special list.

Get real-time coverage of this New Caledonia 2020 referendum on independence with live updates, analysis and results from The Pacific Journal.

French president Macron will address the nation after this second referendum.

Main photo > 180,598 New Caledonians citizens are registered to vote for in second referendum of self-determination. Queue in front of the town hall of Nouméa, capital city of New Caledonia.

Fight against inequalities, recovery plan and France in Louis Mapou’s general policy statement Two weeks before the third and final referendum on independence, Louis Mapou, the President of the 17th government of New Caledonia, delivered his general policy statement on Thursday, November 25, 2021, at the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa. An historical moment for many reasons. Premieres It’s the first time that a general policy statement has been delivered in this place, named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou, a man and political figure whose life and action have remained intimately linked to New Caledonia’s recent history. It’s also the first time that an independentist leader presides the collegiate government, a unique institution in the French Republic, created under the Nouméa Accord on May 5, 1998. And finally, this 17th government of New Caledonia is likely the last of the Nouméa Accord. Growth and inequalities The Nouméa Accord, which extended the principle of rebalancing established in the Matignon Accord of 1988 (with the training of Caledonian executives but also an economic rebalancing between the three provinces, notably marked by the creation of a nickel factory and infrastructures in the North province), has been a period of extraordinary growth for the territory. But these three decades have also seen the disparities in inequality or wealth widen. « I said it, I repeat it, between the poorest and the richest in France, ratio of 1 to 4, here, it’s 1 to 10 », had underlined Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Overseas, in Nouméa, on October 18 th, just before leaving New Caledonia for mainland France. “ Bond of belonging” In his general policy statement, President Louis Mapou thus made the fight against inequalities the « Great cause » of his mandate. « Inequalities are everywhere, he said: at school, at work, in access to housing, in front of the store stall, in the exercise of custom. The Covid-19 health crisis has reaffirmed its acuteness. » This fight against inequalities is a prerequisite for all communities living together, which involves building everyone’s « bond of belonging » to New Caledonia. A country for everyone « There is a place for everyone in New Caledonia. For the Kanak people, but also for all those who have arrived since then, » said President Mapou. Who believes that « the various claims of legitimacy formulated towards New Caledonia must now give way to a process of responsibility which transcends them, that of participating in the construction of the central pole – refering to the kanak hut – of a new New Caledonia which is at the rendezvous of its history. But we must beware of any political, ideological or cultural approach which advocates the dilution of one identity into another and which creates a nest of institutional instabilities. » In his speech, Louis Mapou added that the government intends to « support the process of historical and identity appropriation initiated by valuing the contribution of all communities to history, identity and culture, to strengthen the central pole from New Caledonia ». In addition, after the most serious health crisis that the country has ever known, with more than 12,000 positive cases of Covid-19 and 276 deaths, the President of the 17th government presented emergency measures concerning the control of the functioning expenditure of New Caledonia and its public establishments. As well as a recovery plan for New Caledonia’s economic activity, driven by the determination of a true ecological transition. More Pacific and a new relationship with France Finally, President Mapou spoke of New Caledonia’s desire for greater integration into the Pacific region, as well as its « historical, cultural and linguistic » relationship with France. « It is quite natural that this cooperation in the Pacific evolves and is strengthened », affirmed Louis Mapou, before calling for « to engage with the French State, very quickly, a discussion on all the subjects on which it is necessary to renovate the sharing of skills with New Caledonia ». This general policy statement by President Mapou is part of a period that goes until June 2024, ending date of the provincial mandate in New Caledonia.

Fight against inequalities, recovery plan and France in Louis Mapou’s general policy statement Two weeks before the third and final referendum on independence, Louis Mapou, the President of the 17th government of New Caledonia, delivered his general policy statement on Thursday, November 25, 2021, at the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa. An historical moment for many reasons. Premieres It’s the first time that a general policy statement has been delivered in this place, named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou, a man and political figure whose life and action have remained intimately linked to New Caledonia’s recent history. It’s also the first time that an independentist leader presides the collegiate government, a unique institution in the French Republic, created under the Nouméa Accord on May 5, 1998. And finally, this 17th government of New Caledonia is likely the last of the Nouméa Accord. Growth and inequalities The Nouméa Accord, which extended the principle of rebalancing established in the Matignon Accord of 1988 (with the training of Caledonian executives but also an economic rebalancing between the three provinces, notably marked by the creation of a nickel factory and infrastructures in the North province), has been a period of extraordinary growth for the territory. But these three decades have also seen the disparities in inequality or wealth widen. « I said it, I repeat it, between the poorest and the richest in France, ratio of 1 to 4, here, it’s 1 to 10 », had underlined Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Overseas, in Nouméa, on October 18 th, just before leaving New Caledonia for mainland France. “ Bond of belonging” In his general policy statement, President Louis Mapou thus made the fight against inequalities the « Great cause » of his mandate. « Inequalities are everywhere, he said: at school, at work, in access to housing, in front of the store stall, in the exercise of custom. The Covid-19 health crisis has reaffirmed its acuteness. » This fight against inequalities is a prerequisite for all communities living together, which involves building everyone’s « bond of belonging » to New Caledonia. A country for everyone « There is a place for everyone in New Caledonia. For the Kanak people, but also for all those who have arrived since then, » said President Mapou. Who believes that « the various claims of legitimacy formulated towards New Caledonia must now give way to a process of responsibility which transcends them, that of participating in the construction of the central pole – refering to the kanak hut – of a new New Caledonia which is at the rendezvous of its history. But we must beware of any political, ideological or cultural approach which advocates the dilution of one identity into another and which creates a nest of institutional instabilities. » In his speech, Louis Mapou added that the government intends to « support the process of historical and identity appropriation initiated by valuing the contribution of all communities to history, identity and culture, to strengthen the central pole from New Caledonia ». In addition, after the most serious health crisis that the country has ever known, with more than 12,000 positive cases of Covid-19 and 276 deaths, the President of the 17th government presented emergency measures concerning the control of the functioning expenditure of New Caledonia and its public establishments. As well as a recovery plan for New Caledonia’s economic activity, driven by the determination of a true ecological transition. More Pacific and a new relationship with France Finally, President Mapou spoke of New Caledonia’s desire for greater integration into the Pacific region, as well as its « historical, cultural and linguistic » relationship with France. « It is quite natural that this cooperation in the Pacific evolves and is strengthened », affirmed Louis Mapou, before calling for « to engage with the French State, very quickly, a discussion on all the subjects on which it is necessary to renovate the sharing of skills with New Caledonia ». This general policy statement by President Mapou is part of a period that goes until June 2024, ending date of the provincial mandate in New Caledonia.

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