In New Caledonia, the separatists demanded this Thursday the organization of the third and final referendum on the independence of this French archipelago in the South Pacific, as agreed in the Nouméa agreement signed in 1998. The Political Bureau (BP) of the independence coalition has recorded "a united approach" which aims to send a single letter to the High Commissioner of the Republic.
It bears the signature of the two FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front) groups in Congress, the UNI (National Union for Independence) and the UC (Caledonian Union), said Victor Tutugoro, one of the members of the BP. .
26 elected officials - including one elected from a minority separatist party - out of 54 signed this letter.
At least a third of those elected to Congress can demand the holding of this third and last referendum since Sunday April 4, six months after the previous poll which took place on October 4.
It appears in the Noumea agreement which provides for a gradual decolonization of the archipelago.
18 months
An agreement was found on the date of the future election so that it takes place at the end of the period "in September 2022", despite the opposition that existed between the UNI and the UC, the same source reports.
The UNI wanted the third referendum to take place in 2021, fearing that Marine Le Pen (National Assembly) would win the 2022 presidential election. But the political and health context called this recommendation into question.
The state has 18 months to organize the ballot, which will take place after those of November 4, 2018 and October 4.
Two referendums won respectively 56.7% and 53.3% by supporters of maintaining New Caledonia in France.
The question put to New Caledonians, provided for in the Noumea Accord, remains the same as in the two previous polls: "Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?"
», Arousing reluctance among the loyalists.
"We do not want a third consultation which divides, but a solution of the future for the Caledonians", indicated to the television channel Caledonia, Virginie Ruffenach, head of the group Avenir en Confiance (AEC) at the Congress.
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In an interview with Le Monde and Nouvelles Calédoniennes, the overseas ministry, Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday that they had to “consider the yes and the no.
(...) Caledonians have the right to know what they are voting for ”.
On Twitter, the government announced "take note of the request" of the separatists.
The @gouvernementFR takes note of the request for a third electoral consultation on the accession to full sovereignty of New Caledonia.
The state will organize this referendum before October 2022.https: //t.co/ipgDy2ZRel
- Ministry of Overseas (@lesoutremer) April 8, 2021
The leaders of New Caledonia are invited by the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to Paris from May 25 to June 3 "for a session of exchanges and work", to discuss the post Noumea agreement.