President Emmanuel Macron launched a new round of talks on New Caledonia's institutional future on Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Élysée Palace, without the main independentist movement, the FLNKS. The aim is to clarify the Bougival agreement signed in July 2025, advancing without force but avoiding paralysis. Participants from other political groups showed determination amid ongoing tensions.
Emmanuel Macron gathered New Caledonia's political formations at the Élysée Palace on Friday, January 16, 2026, excluding the Front de libération nationale kanak et socialiste (FLNKS), which boycotted the meeting. The president expressed regret over this absence, stating: "I regret that one of the partners did not wish to respond to our invitation, but I respect everyone's choices and I hope we can find a path for the future that gives a place to all."
The talks focus on the Bougival agreement, signed on July 12, 2025, between independentists, non-independentists, and the state. The text envisions creating a "Calédonien State" within the French Republic, with its own nationality and potential international recognition, but without full sovereignty, leading to the FLNKS's rejection after consulting its militants. The Union nationale pour l’indépendance (UNI), another independentist coalition, supports the agreement while seeking clarifications.
Macron emphasized advancing "without forcing through but without paralysis either," aiming for clarifications to open new perspectives. A key friction point is the frozen electoral roll since 1998, excluding over 40,000 people from provincial elections, central to the May 2024 riots that killed 14.
Loyalists like Virginie Ruffenach, vice-president of Rassemblement-Les Républicains, warned: "We will not accept provincial elections on a frozen electoral roll." Philippe Gomes of Calédonie ensemble acknowledged the FLNKS absence hampers the meeting but added: "the crime is not to try."
The Élysée remains optimistic for an agreement covering about 75% of elected officials. Workshops are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the overseas ministry on Kanak identity, self-determination, and regalian powers. If a compromise emerges, it could be added via amendment to a constitutional revision bill, followed by a popular consultation and provincial elections possibly delayed to September 2026, for the fourth time.
