France is forced to suspend the new reform on elections in New Caledonia after deadly riots plagued the city. The draft was believed to hinder the native Kanack population’s hope for independence as the new reform would allow mainland French citizens to have a vote, weakening their say in New Caledonia’s government.

After the draft was made public in Paris, riots started in New Caledonia, and ten people were killed, tourists fled, and the loss and damage were estimated at more than $1 billion, as well as thousands of people losing their jobs. French President Emmanual Macron paused the election reform after the riots which calmed them. However, the subsequent arrest and transfer of eight pro-independence leaders to jails in France further inflamed tension, according to Al Jazeera. The French government still has much say over New Caledonia, making it difficult for the Kanack people to have a say in their government. Al Jazeera reported that New Caledonia’s pro-independence prime minister, Lois Mapou, called for an end to unrest and for people “to use every way and means to bring back reason and calm.” The Kanak people have been fighting for independence for a long time, and the French government’s colonial strategy in New Caledonia has caused tensions to rise, as the Kanak people do not feel heard.

The protests that erupted in Noumea,  New Caledonia, this past May were due to Paris’s support for new electoral reforms allowing 25,000 mostly European settlers to cast their vote in the region, diluting the Indigenous Kanak votes in the ballot. Kanaks make up 40 percent of New Caledonia’s population and are the indigenous population of New Caledonia. After France dominated by asserting colonies, they believed the best way to eliminate the indigenous Kanak people would be through colonial wars. However, the Kanak people have staged several significant uprisings that have prevented their disappearance. After they were granted citizenship, tensions between the communities grew, and the political polarization of the Kanak people did as well. The conflict was labelled as “the event,” according to Jacobin, which involved the country experiencing a surge of violence between the Kanak people and the French government and settlers, which led to the Ouvea hostage crisis, where nineteen independence activists and two soldiers were killed. The result of this deadly event was Kanak’s path to decolonization. According to Jacobin, “Two separate electoral bodies were established alongside the general electoral roll: one restricted the right to vote in elections for New Caledonian institutions to individuals who had settled at least ten years before the Noumea Accord, while the other imposed even more restrictive criteria for referendums. This excluded all those who arrived after that, mostly from mainland France.” The constitutional amendment that sparked these deadly riots would allow French citizens living in New Caledonia for over a decade the right to vote in local elections.

New Caledonia is a former French colony that reformed into an “overseas territory” after conflict in the 1980s/90s involving pro-independence activists and French forces. Political leaders agreed to the Noumea Accord, which consisted of three referendum votes on whether to have complete independence or remain French. Kanaks and long-term immigrants participated in these votes. According to Al Jazeera, in the first and second referendums in 2018 and 2020, 43.33 percent and 46.74 percent of voters backed independence. However, the Kanak boycotted the last vote in 2021 because of the pandemic, and the vote rose to 96.5% in support of remaining French. This controversial vote renewed tensions between pro-independence and pro-French camps. France’s decision on electoral voting changes in May only fuels these already tight grievances. The Kanak people have faced inequality in the region for a while. Kanak activists told Al Jazeera that “May’s street demonstrations in anger over the lack of consultation over the reforms and their opposition to the changes, seen as the latest of a long line of injustices against the Indigenous community.” For example, the unemployment rate in New Caledonia is 11.2 percent, compared to the Kanak level of 38 percent. 

Recent snap elections in France gave Indigenous populations more representation in Paris. According to Al Jazeera, Nicolas Metzdorf, a loyalist anti-independence Generations NC party, retained his seat in the first constituency, which includes Noumea. Kanak leader Emmanuel Tjibaou won the second constituency, which covers rural areas of the main Grande Terre island, with 57 percent of the vote.  However, many question whether independence would benefit New Caledonia and what it would mean for people’s livelihoods. Al Jazeera spoke with a Frenchman who migrated to New Caledonia and gave his opinion: “France’s substantial funding of the territory’s government supported the economy and delivery of public services, but that could be jeopardized if ties were severed.”New Caledonia is also an asset for the French. Blake Johnson, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra, explained, “New Caledonia gives France access to regional Pacific leadership forums. It is also an important military and maritime base and a vital part of France’s exclusive economic zone.” However, a smooth-running country cannot be achieved with the territory divided socially and politically until unrest is solved and equality is implemented. A solution will not be successful until both sides understand the benefits and necessity of each other.