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Citizens of New Caledonia, a South Pacific archipelago, chose overwhelmingly to remain part of France on Sunday. The referendum was part of a process of decolonisation that started a decade ago. The final results revealed 96.5 per cent decided to stay with France while 3.5 per cent voted for complete independence from the French authorities.
The voting, however, was boycotted by some pro-independence parties who claimed the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted a fair referendum. Only 41 per cent of the voters turned out to cast their ballots.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the result, tweeting: "The Caledonians have made the choice of France, that of unity, that of confidence. I am very proud of it. It is now up to us to continue to build this common destiny that our elders dreamed of and initiated." https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/11/new-caledonia-to-vote-in-3rd-referendum-on-whether-to-remain-french
Voters had the option to answer the question, “Do you want New Caledonia to achieve full sovereignty and become independent?”, in either ‘yes’ and ‘no’.
These islands became French during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III in 1853 and were turned into a prison colony. But the archipelago of 270,000 people won general autonomy after violence in 1988 led to a political process known as the Noumea Agreement.
The pro-independence leaders had appealed to French authorities to defer the poll because the latest Covid-19 wave and pandemic restrictions had affected their campaigning. The main pro-independence group, FLNKS, called the government's decision to press on with the voting a "declaration of war," raising fears of violence. https://www.dw.com/en/new-caledonia-votes-to-remain-a-french-territory/a-60094743.
New Caledonia happens to be the only island in Melanesia, a group of islands stretching from Papua New Guinea to Fiji, that is still under colonial control.
In recent years New Caledonia has become closer to China, the biggest buyer of the island’s enormous nickel reserves. Other independent islands in the region—such as, Fiji and Papua New Guinea—have developed strong ties with China.
If the islands become independent China’s geopolitical influence will further increase, at the cost of France.