Macron suspends reform in New Caledonia that sparked deadly unrest

Macron suspends reform in New Caledonia that sparked deadly unrest

PARIS, June 12, 2024 (BSS/AFP) – President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that an electoral reform that sparked deadly unrest in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia would be “suspended” in view of early parliamentary elections.

Instead, he wants to “give full voice to local dialogue and the restoration of order,” Macron told reporters at a press conference in Paris after weeks of unrest in which nine people died.

The reform would have allowed people who had lived in New Caledonia for at least ten years to participate in local elections, thereby lifting the freeze on electoral rolls, which had remained unchanged since 2007.

The indigenous Kanaks feared that the change would dilute their share of the vote among the population of 270,000, making their hopes of eventual independence ultimately unattainable.

Although the reform had been approved by both the French National Assembly and the Senate, it still had to be adopted by a constitutional congress of both chambers to become part of the Basic Law.
“I have decided to suspend it because we cannot leave anything unclear at this time,” Macron said.

Since the National Assembly had already been dissolved in advance of the election, the congress could not actually take place by the deadline of June 30 – the day on which voters will now go to the polls for the first round of voting.

Violence broke out in New Caledonia on May 13 in response to parliamentary votes in support of the reform.

Barricades, clashes with the police and looting left nine people dead, hundreds injured and hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) was spent in
Damage.

Independence movements had already considered the electoral reform a failure after Macron called for new elections following his camp’s defeat in the European elections on Sunday.

“We all agree that the European elections have approved the draft constitution,” the Kanak Liberation Party (Palika) said on Wednesday before Macron’s comments.

“This should be a time of restoring peace and social ties,” it continued.