The South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia voted against independence from France in a referendum on Sunday, full provisional results showed.

The ‘no’ camp won 53.26% of the vote, according to the archipelago‘s high commission, marking a narrower margin of victory than in a previous referendum in 2018.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the referendum result with a “deep feeling of gratitude” in a speech from the Élysée Palace.