The main independence movements in New Caledonia, grouped within the FLNKS and meeting in congress on Saturday, said this Tuesday “demand” the withdrawal of the constitutional reform examined in the Senate, aimed at expanding the Caledonian electorate.
“The FLNKS demands the definitive withdrawal of the constitutional bill modifying the electoral body”, indicated during a press conference Dominique Fochi, the secretary general of the Caledonian Union (UC), the main independence movement, citing the motion adopted by the FLNKS on Saturday.
He added that the FLNKS requested the creation of mediation “led by a high-level personality in order to guarantee the impartiality of the State and promote the resumption of discussions” between the State and the separatists, which had been at a standstill since the end of last year.
A FLNKS delegation will “go to Paris in the coming days to defend [its] position with national parliamentarians,” added Dominique Fochi.
The thawing of the electorate examined in the Senate
The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) met in a congress on Saturday in Dumbéa, on the outskirts of Nouméa, where several hundred activists and political leaders met.
This congress took place a few days before the examination, Tuesday in the Senate, of the constitutional reform aimed at unfreezing the electorate for provincial elections, crucial in New Caledonia where the provinces hold a large part of the powers.
Currently reserved for natives and residents who arrived before 1998 (Nouméa agreement) and their descendants, these elections would then be open to people with at least ten years of residence in New Caledonia.
Read alsoOn the environment too, Emmanuel Macron in search of the Caledonian “consensus”
Currently, the freezing of the electorate for more than 25 years has the consequence of ousting from these elections almost one in five voters, which would pose a risk of unconstitutionality on the next election, scheduled for December 15 .
This situation is “in accordance with neither the essential principles of democracy nor the values of the Republic”, regularly insists the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, who has increased the number of trips to the site.
The government nevertheless continues to favor a local compromise: if the loyalists and the separatists reach a global agreement allowing this unfreezing of the electorate before July 1, the constitutional reform would be obsolete.
But if negotiations continue to slip, it will come into force.
“Transition in force” and desire to reassure
The left and the separatists denounce a “forceful passage” and accuse the government, through this constitutional reform, of lacking impartiality and of preventing a locally negotiated solution.
“We are being asked to discuss with a knife to our throat,” Robert Xowie, the first Caledonian independence senator elected to the upper house, told AFP.
“There is no urgency to impose a timetable, to put the actors under pressure for a forced agreement”, regretted for her part the socialist Corinne Narassiguin.
The left, opposed to reform, will nevertheless be in the minority in a hemicycle dominated by an alliance of the right and the center.
But a fairly clear majority seems to be emerging to reshape the government's text.
With one slogan: priority to dialogue.
“We want to relax a little bit a process in which we have put a little stress”, to “give every chance to the conclusion of an agreement” locally, assures the rapporteur Philippe Bas (Les Républicains).
The latter opposes the government "ultimatum" set for July 1: an amendment thus makes it possible to suspend this constitutional reform if an agreement occurs up to 10 days before the next provincial elections.
Another amendment plans to limit this unfreezing of the electorate to the next election only, to allow negotiations to continue after the provincial elections.
A solemn vote is planned for April 2 in the Senate on this text, which must then be adopted identically in the Assembly before being submitted to all parliamentarians meeting in Congress, where a three-fifths majority will be necessary.
“Unity” of the separatists
The FLNKS congress on Saturday allowed the separatists “to demonstrate their unity”, rejoiced Dominique Fochi during the press conference, stressing that they had agreed on a common motion and to open the FLNKS to other independence movements.
The previous congress, in February 2023, had in fact seen the UC and the other major component of the FLNKS, the Kanak Liberation Party (Palika), adopt opposing positions between supporters of dialogue with the State (Palika) and those rejecting them (UC).