France’s Macron suspends reform in New Caledonia that sparked deadly unrest after early elections

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 the 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 have 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.

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“It’s a civil war”: French New Caledonia declares state of emergency amid independence protests

“It’s a civil war”: French New Caledonia declares state of emergency amid independence protests

Since the National Assembly had already been dissolved in the run-up to 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, skirmishes with police and looting left nine people dead, hundreds injured and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

The 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.