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State of emergency lifted in New Caledonia

France on Tuesday lifted a state of emergency in its Pacific territory of New Caledonia but is maintaining a curfew and sending hundreds of paramilitary reinforcements after two weeks of unrest in which seven people died and hundreds were injured.

Published: 28 May 2024 08:08 CEST
State of emergency lifted in New Caledonia
This picture shows a barricade leading to a residential district in Noumea, France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, on May 24, 2024. (Photo by Theo Rouby / AFP)

The French presidency said restrictions had been eased to let the main pro-independence FLNKS party hold meetings and for local representatives to try to get road barricades removed.

Paris enforced the state of emergency after riots erupted over French plans to reform voting rights in the territory. Several hundred police and military reinforcements have already been sent to New Caledonia.

Authorities said another 480 paramilitary gendarmes would leave France for the territory “within hours”. A night curfew from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am and a ban on alcohol sales will remain, the French government office in New Caledonia said.

While the archipelago has been quieter, some disturbances were reported in Vallee-du-Tir district of the main city Noumea. There have been nearly 500 arrests since the unrest started.

Long queues of traffic have built up in daylight hours but many roads, including to the international airport, are still closed with hundreds of burned out cars. The airport is to remain closed until June 2. Authorities said 600 police would be used to clear access to the Medipole hospital.

The lifting of the blockades is “the necessary condition for the opening of concrete and serious negotiations”, the French presidency said in a statement, which announced the lifting of the state of emergency from 5 am Tuesday (local time).

President Emmanuel Macron flew to the Pacific archipelago on Thursday in a bid to defuse the crisis.

The first French tourists were evacuated Saturday from Noumea aboard military aircraft headed for Australia and New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand had already begun repatriating their nationals on Tuesday.

In total, around 3,500 troops have been deployed to the archipelago, where two police have died.

Possible referendum

New Caledonia has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many indigenous Kanaks resent France’s power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.

France is planning to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents, something Kanaks say would dilute the influence of their votes.

Macron pledged during his lightning trip to New Caledonia that the planned voting reforms “will not be forced through”.

“Violence should never be allowed to take root,” Macron said at the end of his visit.

The CCAT pro-independence group organising the protests has not called off the roadblocks but offered to ease the chaos so that fuel and medicines could be delivered.

The FLNKS party reiterated on Saturday its demand for the withdrawal of the voting reforms after meeting with Macron.

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FRENCH ELECTIONS

Who are France’s ‘ni-ni’ people?

They might sound like something out of a Monthy Python film, but the 'ni-ni's could end up determining the course of the French election.

Published: 27 June 2024 11:26 CEST
Who are France's 'ni-ni' people?

In among the fevered speculation about France’s snap legislative elections – in which the far-right Rassemblement National is currently leading the polls – you may have heard talk of les ni-nis.

In French the word ni means neither or nor, and it is used regularly in everyday conversation – Je n’aime ni la bière ni le vin (I like neither beer, nor wine).

In a political context, it means rejection of both of the main or poll-leading parties, and it is important because of France’s two-round voting system.

Snap elections

In the current snap parliamentary elections – with polling days on June 30th and July 7th – the two groups leading the polls are Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National party and the Nouveau Front Populaire, an alliance of the four main parties of the left (the hard-left La France Insoumise, the centre-left Parti Socialiste, the Greens and the Communists).

Although the left alliance consists of four parties, it is dominated by the biggest – La France Insoumise. The party’s hard-line economic positions and recent accusations of anti-Semitism have made them unpalatable to some voters, especially those in the centre or centre-left.

All of which means, that a significant chunk of voters are saying “Ni RN, ni NFP” – neither Rassemblement National, nor Nouveau Front Populaire.

Among those seem to be at least some in Emmanuel Macron’s centrist group, the president himself describes both groups as ‘les extremes‘.

Two rounds

It’s pretty common in elections around the world to find plenty of voters who don’t like either of the main parties on offer.

What makes ‘les ni-nis‘ more significant in France is the two-round voting system – voters head to the polls once and choose from any of the array of candidates standing in their seat. The highest scorers from round one then go through to a second round, and voters go back to the polls a week later and vote on the second-round candidates.

READ ALSO How does France’s two-round voting system work?

Current polling suggests that in a significant number of constituencies, the second round will come down to a run-off between candidates from Rassemblement National and the Nouveau Front Populaire.

At which point les ni-nis will have to decide whether they truly can’t vote for either of the candidates.

They have the choice of either abstaining, casting a vote blanc (blank ballot paper) or picking the candidate they dislike the least.

What they decide could well end up determining France’s next government.

You can follow all the latest election news HERE or sign up to receive by email our bi-weekly election breakdown

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