On Sunday, New Caledonia held a second independence referendum after almost 170 years of French colonial rule. Voters were asked if they wanted to gain full sovereignty and become independent.
A de-colonisation agreement signed in 1998, known as the Noumea Accord, provides for several such referendums. The first vote took place on November 4, 2018, when 56.7 percent of New Caledonia residents opted to remain part of France.