France suspends electoral reform in New Caledonia that sparked deadly unrest

President Emmanuel Macron says an electoral reform that sparked weeks of deadly unrest in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia has been “suspended” in light of the early parliamentary elections.

“The constitutional project on electoral law in New Caledonia has been suspended,” Macron told reporters at a press conference in Paris on Wednesday.

Instead, he said his goal was to “give full voice to local dialogue and the restoration of order.”

The announcement came after a ninth death was confirmed on Tuesday in the worst violence the archipelago has seen in four decades.

The French government had planned to extend the right to vote in provincial elections to people who have lived in the area for at least ten years, which would add an additional 24,000 people to the electoral rolls.

But indigenous Kanak leaders feared that this would dilute their share of the vote among the 270,000-strong population, dashing their hopes of eventual independence from France.

Although the reform was approved by both the French National Assembly and the Senate, it had to be passed by a constitutional congress of both chambers before it could come into force.

“I have decided to suspend it because we cannot leave anything unclear at this time,” Macron said, referring to the current political turbulence in the country.

New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou said the electoral changes were “no longer relevant” due to the dissolution of the French parliament.

Nine people were killed in the riots, including two gendarmes, and hundreds were injured.

Read more on RFI English

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