It’s a big weekend for one small island in the Pacific as voters head to the polls for a national referendum that has been years in the making and risks severe upset.
, the Kanaks tend to be pro-independence with the Europeans generally voting to stay with France–a situation which hasn’t changed much over the past 30 years. The society says that “on both sides, the challenge of reaching beyond ethnic boundaries has not been met.”
The first referendum was in 2018, when “No” voters won with 56.7% of the vote. It was a record turnout of 81%. The country has issues with high unemployment, crime, alcoholism and a failing education system. French President Emmanuel Macron believes that the best way to protect it is to keep it under France’s rule, despite the cost.
If it wins the referendum, it will be the first country to break away from France since Vanuatu in 1980. but this doesn’t suggest any major changes in either this referendum or the possible one in 2022.
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