New Caledonia votes to remain with France, early results show

Early results indicate that 56.8 percent of residents in the Pacific island of New Caledonia have rejected independence and voted to remain an overseas territory of France, Le Figaro reported. The referendum held on Sunday was marked with a high turnout of 73.68 percent. The decades-long separatism movement was spearheaded by the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, whose supporters belong to the island’s indigenous population. The separatists boycotted the previous independence vote in 1987 when full sovereignty was rejected by more than 98 percent of voters.