In New Caledonia, the March municipal elections act as a rehearsal for the provincial polls due by year's end. These elections, postponed multiple times, hinge on a constitutional reform's adoption. Independence supporters urge high turnout to sway decisions in Paris.
The 2024 violence has reshaped New Caledonia's political landscape, polarizing debates between independence supporters and opponents. Provincial elections, delayed four times over two years and not held since 2019, are scheduled by year's end: December if the constitutional reform creating a new status for the archipelago passes, or June if rejected. The March municipal elections thus serve as a trial run to gauge strengths and send messages to Paris, where the constitutional bill faces Senate review on February 24. The Front de libération nationale kanak et socialiste (FLNKS), against this new status, calls on its members for strong participation. 'To be heard all the way in Paris. They say we are a minority, we'll show that's not the case,' states Désiré Tein, an FLNKS militant and brother of movement president Christian Tein, who is in France rallying lawmakers against the reform. In rural areas and the islands, the FLNKS holds 13 of the territory's 33 communes and expects robust backing. It also hopes to capture some of the five mayoral seats controlled by the Union nationale pour l’indépendance (UNI), which backs the new status from the Bougival agreement of July 12, 2025, and has distanced itself from the FLNKS.
