independence referendum An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independence ...

was held in

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

on 13 September 1987.New Caledonia (France), 13 September 1987: Status
Direct Democracy Voters were given the choice of remaining part of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

or becoming independent. The referendum was boycotted by independence movements. Only 1.7% voted in favour of independence.

Background

By a vote of 325 to 249, the

French Parliament The French Parliament (french: Parlement français) is the bicameral legislature of the French Republic, consisting of the Senate () and the National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at separate locations in Paris: ...

passed a law on 15 April 1984 on holding an independence referendum in New Caledonia. Independence movements including the

Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (french: Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste, FLNKS) is a pro-independence alliance of political parties in New Caledonia. It was founded in 1984 at a congress of various politica ...

boycotted the referendum in protest at the franchise requirements, which made the indigenous population a minority.Alexandra Remond (2017
Questioned sovereignties: Independence referendums and secession in a comparative perspective
/ref> Although former French president

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

had promised short-term residents of the territory would not be able to vote, they were enfranchised for the referendum. As a result of claimed failures to respect the rights of the indigenous population, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Special Committee on Decolonization The United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, or the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), is a committee of ...

did not send observers.Voter boycott expected in New Caledonia elections
UPI, 12 September 1982

Results

References

{{New Caledonian elections 1987 in New Caledonia

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

Separatism in France Separatism in Oceania Decolonization September 1987 events in Oceania

Background

Results

See also

References