New Caledonia to vote on independence from France

Voters in New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific, will choose whether they want independence from France in a referendum that marks a milestone in a three-decade decolonization effort. Sunday’s vote is key to determining the future of the archipelago east of Australia and its 270,000 inhabitants, including both native Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies, and descendants of European colonizers. No opinion polls have been released, but two years ago, 56.4% of voters who participated in a similar referendum chose to keep ties with Paris — 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) and nine times zones away — instead of backing independence.

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