France has scrapped a controversial electoral reform in New Caledonia that sparked months of violent unrest and fueled concern in the region over Paris’ attitude toward its Pacific territories.
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said in his inaugural speech to the National Assembly on Tuesday that plans to “unfreeze” the electoral lists would not be submitted to the joint meeting of Parliament for ratification.
Critics of the amendment said emancipation would have given the vote to tens of thousands of French immigrants in the Melanesian island chain and created a significant obstacle to the autonomy aspirations of the indigenous Kanak people.
“A new period must now begin, devoted to the economic and social reconstruction of New Caledonia,” he declared, according to the AFP press agency.
The unrest that erupted in May was New Caledonia’s worst outbreak of violence in decades, killing 13 people and leaving the economy on the brink of collapse.
Damage is estimated at at least 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), and some 35,000 people are out of work.
Barnier said the provincial elections would be postponed from December 15 until the end of 2025.
“I am aware of the suffering and anguish felt by the New Caledonian population and I would like to reiterate that the State and my government will be at their side,” declared Mr. Barnier, quoted by Associated Press.
The speech drew mixed reactions from New Caledonian lawmakers on Wednesday.
Kanak MP Emmanuel Tjibaou – elected in July as the first separatist in the lower house in almost four decades – said it was a “sign” that the French state “is taking its responsibilities to end the crisis and resume institutional discussions”.
“For the moment, I have heard the words, I am waiting for the actions,” Tjibaou said at a press conference after the speech.
Loyalist MP Nicolas Metzdorf, representing New Caledonia’s 1st constituency in the National Assembly, said Barnier’s speech was “disconnected from reality” and expressed disappointment that no financial aid had been announced.
“The Prime Minister does not appreciate the seriousness of the situation on the ground,” Metzdorf said on television. New Caledonia the 1st.
Philippe Gomes, leader of the moderate loyalist Calédonie Ensemble party and a former Lower House MP, said “the sword of Damocles that prevented political dialogue” had been lifted. He is part of a bipartisan delegation in Paris demanding billions of euros from the government to help rebuild the territory.
Just over three weeks after his appointment by President Emmanuel Macron, Barnier’s speech detailed his roadmap, focusing on the country’s struggling economy, but devoted a considerable portion to French overseas territories.
He indicated that the government would also soon send an interministerial dialogue mission to New Caledonia led by the presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate, Yaël Braun-Pivet and Gérard Larcher.
France’s handling of the pro-independence riots that ravaged the capital Nouméa has reinforced the regional perception that it is a colonial power disconnected from reality.
Paris has deployed nearly 7,000 soldiers, police and gendarmes to New Caledonia since May, an unprecedented increase in security since the Kanak revolt of the 1980s which ended only with the promise of a referendum on independence.
The 18-member Pacific Islands Forum last month approved the terms of reference for a high-level “Troika-plus” fact-finding mission, although it is unclear when it will take place.
Two weeks ago, French security forces shot dead two Kanaks while trying to execute arrest warrants against the suspected leaders of the recent unrest.
New Caledonia voted by modest majorities to remain part of France in referendums held in 2018 and 2020 as part of a UN-mandated decolonization process. Three votes were part of the Nouméa Accord aimed at increasing Kanak political power after deadly violence in the 1980s.
A controversial final referendum in 2021 came out overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining the status quo. However, independence supporters rejected its legitimacy because of the very low turnout – the event was boycotted by the independence movement – and because it took place during a severe phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted campaigning.
BenarNews is an online news organization affiliated with RFA.