The vote on the independence of the French archipelago must be held on December 12th. Independents request its deferral because of the Cvid-19 epidemic.
Le Monde with AFP
For several weeks they claimed the postponement of the third referendum on the independence of New Caledonia because of the CVIV-19 epidemic that now affects the French archipelago. In vain. The maintenance of the date of 12 December for the referendum “is similar to a true declaration of war against the Kanak people,” said Sunday, November 14, the Liberation Party Kanak (Palika), one of the two main branches. the National Liberation Front Kanak and Socialist (Flnks), Independentist Party.
“This unfailing decision is political provocation. It brings us back to the departure before the Matignon Agreements (1988) and Noumea (1998) and undertakes any possibility of dialogue on the future of the country “,” said the Palika Political Office in a statement. “The stubbornness of the state (…) could generate a dangerous voltage situation for civil peace,” said Palika, whose leader, Paul Néoutyine, is a signatory to the agreement of Nouméa and President of The North Province.
The High Commissioner of the Republic in New Caledonia, Patrice Faure, announced Friday, during an official displacement in a village managed by the independence, that the Government had made the decision to maintain the third and final referendum of the Noumea Agreement on December 12th. He put forward “the controlled health situation” with favorable indicators, after Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister of Overseas, insisted that “only the health criterion” would be taken into account in the choice to maintain or Not the vote.
The UN solicited
Loyalist parties claim it to be held on the scheduled date of 12 December. On the other hand, the FLNKS has reported, since October 20, that it would not participate in this referendum, of which it will not recognize the result if it stood, arguing the impossibility of “conducting a fair campaign” and a Kanak population diving in mourning – more than 50% of the 272 dead are of Kanak origin.
The Independent Party accuses the State “to have missed many times to neutrality required” and “chosen to take and cause for the colonial right”. The Palika finally says in this text that it will seize the international union of decolonization of the United Nations to denounce the absurdity of a self-determination consultation without the colonized people “.
As part of the decolonization process of the Nouméa Agreement, which provides for the holding of three referendums, two took place in 2018 and 2020, resulting in a rejection of independence to a majority of 56.7 % then 53.3%.