Patrick
Decloitre RNZ Pacific French Pacific desk
correspondent
The French High commission in New
Caledonia has banned all alcohol sales until 28 June, the
provincial elections day.
The ban enforcement started
on Monday and will last until Sunday at midnight, local
time.
The ban concerns the sale and consumption of
alcoholic beverages.
The measure is supposed to
“prevent public unrest”, amongst other reasons.
The
High Commission said New Caledonia is experiencing a tense
economic and social situation, as well as “delinquency”
especially in the capital Nouméa and its greater
area.
It also said law enforcement agencies, police
and gendarmerie, are “regularly targeted by
stone-throwing”.
Similar measures were taken during
the May 2024 violent unrest.
It was also enforced
several times at perceived “sensitive” periods, such as the
anniversary of the riots, on 13 May, or the symbolic date of
24 September which marks the anniversary of New Caledonia’s
becoming a French colony in 1853.
Political parties in
New Caledonia are
now in full campaign mode.
Senior journalist Nic
Maclellan told Pacific Waves the key concerns for
voters are the ones that face every country.
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“There’s
a lot of concern about the current state of public services,
particularly around health and public transport, both of
which have suffered since the 2024 crisis,” he
said.
“A major concern is frustration amongst young
people about the cost of living, about access to housing,
particularly about access to jobs.”
He said the fuel
crisis is not as front of mind as in other countries, but
still a factor.
“Certainly, the cost of living is
pretty stark here, and fuel has gone up. It has affected key
industries like tourism.
“Key sectors like nickel –
nickel smelting and nickel mining – tourism, and others are
affected by global energy costs. But front of mind is, as I
say, about the cost of public services, which have been very
much disrupted by the crisis in 2024 and in many cases
haven’t recovered to the full level.”
The pro-France
united list brings together Les Loyalistes,
Rassemblement-LR, and Génération NC; while the
pro-independence FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National
Liberation Front, including Union Calédonienne) is one of
the main components of the pro-independence
movement.
And this year a UNI (Union Nationale pour
l’Indépendance) movement is also running separately after
its two main pillars, PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and
UPM (Union Progressiste en Mélanésie) broke away from
FLNKS in August
2024.
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