Pacific / New Caledonia

National Front opposes New Caledonia independence

14:34 pm on 13 June 2017

France's National Front has called on its backers in New Caledonia to vote for the two anti-independence candidates Philippe Gomes and Sonia Backes in this weekend's French National Assembly election.

The two belong to the two main anti-independence parties, Caledonia Together and The Republicans.

The Front office in Paris issued a statement saying the party would back them if they refuse to ever accept independence from France.

It urges the two politicians to forge an alliance with all political forces in favour of keeping New Caledonia French in the face of the anti-French pro-independence extremists.

By November next year, a referendum was to be held to conclude the decolonisation process in line with the 1998 Noumea Accord.

In last weekend's first round, the National Front's candidates in New Caledonia won just under 12 and 7 percent of the votes respectively and have been eliminated.