Patrick
Decloitre, Correspondent French Pacific
Desk
New Caledonia’s political parties are now in
marching order to contest the upcoming local provincial
elections scheduled to be held in just over a
fortnight.
The French High Commission has published an
initial
list of 24 political groupings are running for a seat in
New Caledonia’s three provincial assemblies (North, South
and the outer Loyalty Islands).
The list is subject to
final verification before the upcoming polls on 28
June.
In New Caledonia’s Southern province, there are
40 seats to be filled.
After the provincial level
poll, 32 will be entitled to sit at New Caledonia’s
Congress.
The Southern province’s candidates, which is
traditionally a pro-France stronghold, will include a
“Strong and United” list headed by incumbent Provincial
president and pro-France leader, Sonia Backès.
The
list includes leaders from several of the main components of
the pro-France camp: Backès’s Les Loyalistes, Virginie
Ruffenach’s Le Rassemblement-LR and New Caledonia’s MP in
the French National Assembly, Nicolas Metzdorf’s
Génération NC.
It also includes current local
government minister for economy Christopher Gygès, as well
as pro-France mayors of Greater Nouméa cities of Dumbéa
and Mont-Dore (Cynthia Jan and Nina Julié).
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On the
pro-independence side, one of its main components, the FLNKS
(Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front) is
presenting a “Kanaky for Everyone” (Kanaky Pour Tous or KPT)
list headed by a young politician, Johanito
Wamytan.
The list also includes Union Calédonienne
secretary general Dominique Fochi.
Other
pro-independence parties are the Labour Party, the
Rassemblement Démocratique Océanien or the Mouvement des
Océaniens Indépendantistes.
In the pro-independence
movement, but separate from the FLNKS, another list “Unis
pour le Pays” (United for the Country) is headed by Louis
Mapou, a former New Caledonian government
president.
The list is presented by the “UNI” (Union
Nationale pour l’ Indépendance) political group, which
mainly consists of pro-independence PALIKA and UPM (Union
Progressiste en Mélanésie).
Both PALIKA and UPM
broke away from the FLNKS group in August 2024, citing
diverging views regarding New Caledonia’s independence
process.
But in the Southern Province, as well as in
the two others, this year’s provincial elections are marked
by a perceived strong emergence from parties which identify
themselves neither in the main pro-France nor
pro-independence blocks.
Some of those non-radical
groups prefer to describe themselves as belonging to a
“non-partisan” or civil society”
movement.
Wallisian-based Éveil Océanien, which
first emerged at the previous provincial elections in 2019,
is presenting a list conducted by its leader Milakulo
Tukumuli.
He is leading a list dubbed “Un autre monde
est possible!” (Another world is possible).
His second
co-list is the New Caledonia’s Congress president Veylma
Falaeo.
Several parties and lists are running for the
first time: one of those is called “Une province pour tous,
un pays solidaire, un avenir partagé” (A province for
everyone, a country in solidarity, a shared
future).
It is headed by former journalist and media
personality Walles Kotra, with the support of incumbent
Senator for New Caledonia, Georges Naturel and incumbent
environment minister Jérémie Katidjo-Monnier.
A
former leading figure of Calédonie Ensemble party,
pro-France Philippe Dunoyer is now heading another list
called “Nous, Réunis !” (Us, united).
Some of the
common themes to most of these “middle” parties are the
notions of pragmatism, away from the polarising arguments, a
priority for the restoration of the ailing local post-riots
economy and the provide pragmatic assistance to a population
still reeling from the social and economic devastation
caused by the violent riots that shook New Caledonia in May
2024.
In the Northern Province, its incumbent
president and veteran pro-independence politician Paul
Néaoutyine has decided to run for another term at the helm
of the local assembly, which he has been holding since
1999.
He is the front man of the “UNI” list.
In
the same contest, he is running against the FLNKS-Union
Calédonienne group headed by Houaïlou city Mayor Pascal
Sawa also including FLNKS figures such as Pierre Chanel
Tutugoro and territorial government minister Gilbert
Tyuienon.
A pro-France list is also headed by Vanessa
Wacapo.
Other “middle” lists are based around the
theme of “country-building” and controlling public spending
while reducing red tape.
New Caledonia’s Congress
consists of 54 members:
- Northern Province (22
assembly seats; 15 Congress seats) - Southern Province
(40 assembly seats; 32 Congress seats) - Loyalty
Islands Province (14 assembly seats; 7 Congress
seats)
The provincial elections are held at a
single round, under a general rule of proportional
representation.
The makeup of the proportionally
representative Congress will be known after the 28 June
provincial elections.
From the new Congress, a
“collegial” government for New Caledonia and its president
will then
emerge.
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