WELLINGTON — Final results from New Caledonia’s provincial elections have revealed a fragmented legislature, with the pro-France coalition winning the most seats but failing to secure a governing majority, leaving a small centrist Pacific party holding the balance of power.
The vote, which took place on June 28, was the first provincial election in the French Pacific territory since 2019. It came after multiple postponements and followed violent unrest in 2024 triggered by proposed changes to the local electoral roll — tensions that laid bare the strained relationship between France and New Caledonia’s Indigenous Kanak people.
New Caledonia sits roughly 1,500 kilometers — about 930 miles — east of Australia and is home to approximately 270,000 people. The population includes around 41% Melanesian Kanaks and 24% of European descent, predominantly French. The territory has long been divided between those who favor independence and those who wish to remain part of France.
According to final figures released by the High Commission, Sonia Backes’ loyalist alliance, Les Loyalistes-Le Rassemblement, secured 24 of the 54 seats in the Congress. Meanwhile, the pro-independence grouping — made up of UC-FLNKS, UNI-Palika, and Dynamique Autochtone — captured 26 seats.
The remaining four seats belong to the centrist party L’Eveil oceanien, which is now positioned as the deciding force in determining the direction of the next executive government.
New Caledonia’s political system requires Congress to elect the government through proportional representation. Once formed, government members then select a president and vice president from within their own ranks.
The stakes are especially high because the incoming government is expected to play a central role in shaping future negotiations with France over the territory’s political status. Three referendums have been held on the question of independence, with the most recent in 2021 returning a majority in favor of remaining part of France. However, that vote was boycotted by pro-independence parties, who had sought a postponement due to a COVID-19 outbreak and a period of Kanak mourning.
