- The French Government has agreed to postpone until 4 October the referendum which was in principle to be held on 6 September. Although with some autonomy, New Caledonia, also called Kanaky, still depends on France.
On 4 October the Caledonians will be able to decide whether they want to continue depending on the French State. The referendum, originally scheduled for 6 September, has been postponed by the coronavirus. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has sent the proposal to the head of Government of New Caledonia, the right-wing and loaist Thierry Santa Caledonia, and to the independence leader of the Rock Wamytan Congress.
The referendum, which included the same question that took place in 2018, was won by voting against independence, with 56.4%. In the survey, which had a participation of 80.6%, the citizens answered the question “do you want New Caledonia to have full sovereignty and independence?”. Independence leaders valued the results of the referendum and assured that they were "very close" to victory and gave them "strength" for the consultations agreed in the coming years.
The referendum route was agreed in the Noumea Agreement of 5 May 1998. Representatives of the French Government, independent and opposed to independence were the signatories to the agreement. This agreement involves the organisation of three referendums on independence – only if in the first two the refusal is a winner, it will be organised in the third place.