L’Eveil Océanien – The Oceanian Awakening (TOA) – was the big surprise of the last elections to the Congress of New Caledonia in May 2019.
This young party, composed in its majority of locals of Wallisian and Futunian origin, had indeed four members being elected.

Dissensions
Milakulo Tukumuli, the president of TOA had not given any voting instructions for the referendum on October 4. That said, the majority of the party’s supporters are willing New Caledonia to remain in France. In spite of this, there are strong dissensions between The Oceanian Awakening and the non independent party on power (L’Avenir en Confiance, The Future in Confidence) whose leader is Sonia Backès.

3 points drop
The “No” to the independence of New Caledonia won the second referendum with 53.2% of the votes. Which represents a drop of more than 3 percent in comparison to the loyalist score at the 2018 referendum.

Failure
Despite the victory, it’s a failure for the camp of “No”. The failure is all the more serious that a third – and last – referendum on independence could be held in one or two years.
It only requires that the 3/5ths of the members of the New Caledonian Congress decide it. And if the “Yes” side has the same progression, in number of votes, that it has had in the last two years, the idea of independence would be in a position to win.

Demagogy
After the annoucement of the results of the second referendum, the president of L’Eveil océanien, did publish a communiqué of an extreme violence.
“The strategy of the new caledonian political actors regarding the [people] of Wallis and Futuna (in New Caledonia] is demagogic and contemptuous, Milakulo Tukumul said. Indeed, every election’s eve in New Caledonia, the local parties are sending there elected representatives of Wallisian and Futunian origin with the hope of influencing the vote of their people.

Kingmaker
“L’Eveil océanien, which refuses to be considered as a communitarian party, speaks of “attacks and humiliating insults, with sharp, racist, criticisms.”
Nevertheless, a question is on all the minds now in New Caledonia: Will The Oceanian Awakening support the independentists camp in a future government ? Or not.

 

Photo > The Oceanian Awakening meeting in Nouméa, New Caledonia.