Patrick
Decloitre RNZ Pacific French Pacific desk
correspondent
The one-round
provincial election held on Sunday in New Caledonia has
produced a few surprises, but essentially maintained the
existing blocs between pro-independence and pro-France
parties.
In the Southern Province (New Caledonia’s
most affluent and populated, including the capital Nouméa),
provisional results show half the votes went to the “Strong
and United” pro-France camp that brought together the
Rassemblement, Les Loyalistes parties, headed by incumbent
Southern Province president Sonia Backès.
Her list
has obtained the support of 50.4 percent of the votes in the
province, according to preliminary results on Sunday night,
which should give it access to 28 seats in the Southern
Province and 24 of the 54 seats in New Caledonia’s
territorial Congress.
Support for the Strong and
United pro-France list was not only strong in the capital
Nouméa, but also in its three surrounding cities of
Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta.
Speaking to a crowd of
supporters on Sunday night, Backès, 50, hailed the results
and her party’s score, saying this was a way for voters to
recognise what had been done during the past seven years,
marked by several crises including the covid pandemic and
the May 2024 riots.
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“The non-independence voters have
supported our list at a large majority and I think our
choice for unity was important,” she said.
“Also
because we were carrying a clear message of support for a
New Caledonia within France, as well as a society model we
believe in, based on respect for democracy, of merit and
equality for everyone.”
Pro-independence Johanito
Wamytan (Union Caledonienne-FLNKS) and his list have secured
15.5 percent of the votes, translating into seven seats, one
more than during the previous mandate (2019-2026).
He
is followed by Wallisian-based centre party Eveil
Océanien’s list (“Another World is Possible”), headed by
Milakulo Tukumuli (10.3 percent).
In the Southern
province, Eveil Océanien gained five seats – two more than
during the previous provincial legislature.
This, once
again, would place Eveil Océanien as a force to be reckoned
with in both Southern Province assembly and the territorial
congress, where the party, set up in 2019, has gained the
nickname of “king maker”.
Eveil Océanien leader
Milakulo Tukumuli said with four expected seats at the
Congress, he was pleased to see that his party has
“confirmed its place in New Caledonia’s political
landscape”.
Northern and Loyalty Islands
provinces
Preliminary results in the north showed an
almost equal score by the pro-independence parties, one
being the UC-FLNKS, the other UNI (Union Nationale pour
l’Indépendance).
The two parties list heads, Pascal
Sawa (UC-FLNKS) and incumbent UNI-PALIKA Paul Néaoutyine
(who has been heading the Northern Province for the past 27
years) have won 10 and nine seats respectively, with the
last three seats being held by pro-France Vanessa Wacapo
(Les Loyalistes-Rassemblement).
In the Loyalty Islands
province, two lists headed by pro-independence Mickaël
Forrest (UC-FLNKS) and Omayra Naisseline won six seats each
in the small provincial assembly.
The provincial
elections results need to be officially proclaimed by the
French High Commission this week.
The next step, as
part of the “trickle down” effect of the poll, is for New
Caledonia’s new Congress to convene on Friday 3 July, with
the first item on its inaugural agenda being the election of
its Speaker (President).
Parties represented at the
new Congress are expected to enter into negotiations in
order to form alliances.
This would be followed by a
process of appointment of a “collegial” cabinet which is
also supposed to reflect the make-up of the local
Parliament.
Low turnout rate
One of the main
features of Sunday’s provincial election was also the
relatively low turnout rate (an estimated 58 percent of the
192,584 registered voters). This is eight percent less than
during the previous poll in 2019.
Geopolitical analyst
Pierre-Christophe Pantz told public broadcaster NC la
Première during election night that “this was to be
expected and this raises questions about the meaning of
democracy”.
Other experts also started to see in this
low turnout a profound disinterest from
voters.
University of New Caledonia law professor
Mathias Chauchat said the trend was worrying, especially
when combined with the “sudden death” five-percent threshold
that automatically eliminates the smaller lists.
“We
end up with a rule that at the end of the day crystallises
the forces in presence, to produce a rather conservative and
polarised result,” Pantz said.
UC-FLNKS politician
Alosio Sako said on Sunday night, during a TV live debate,
“I hope [the poll results] will enable for a fresh start, to
find a new agreement because [New] Caledonians are tired of
having to go through this kind of situation”.
Should
the rules be changed?
Another compounding factor is
that any list that does not collect at least five percent of
registered voters is automatically eliminated during this
single-round poll.
“This five-percent threshold rule
was designed precisely to favour big blocs, to give them
time to manage New Caledonia in the long term,” Professor
Chauchat said.
He said instead of discarding all these
disqualified suffrages, it could be an idea to retain some
of the ideas brought up during the campaign in favour of
young seeds, based on the principle of participative
democracy.
“If you look at it more closely, there are
a lot of new ideas from all these emerging small
lists.
“It’s a shame that they only appear during
election time and then disappear again, like shooting
stars.”
Former journalist and TV personality Wallès
Kotra, who was heading one of those small lists, said he was
concerned that the May 2024 riots and unrest would not
repeat themselves.
“This has left many traces and fear
within the population. And I hope it doesn’t herald more
crises,” he said.
“We have to live together. And the
two antagonist blocks, for them, it’s time to find an
agreement. We must take care of our
country.”
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