Count down under way for New Caledonia’s independence vote

By RNZ News

The campaign for New Caledonia’s referendum on independence from France is already officially three days old with the critical vote in less than two weeks.

Six political formations are registered to campaign for the plebiscite on October 4 when 180,640 voters will be asked whether they want the territory to accede to full sovereignty.

Three groups support independence and three back the status quo.

• READ MORE: Rewind to the 2018 New Caledonia independence referendum

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In 2018, in the first of three possible referendums under the Noumea Accord, 57 percent voted against independence – much lower than predicted.

If voters again reject independence, a third vote can be called by 2022.

No opinion poll result has been released in the past six months.

New Caledonia was put on the UN decolonisation list in 1986.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.