Politics of New Caledonia

Political system of New Caledonia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Politics of New Caledonia" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Politics of New Caledonia

* High Commissioner
* Patrice Faure
* President of the Government
* Louis Mapou
* Vice President of the Government
* Isabelle Champmoreau
* Congress
* President
* Roch Wamytan
* Political parties
* Recent elections

* Legislative: 2004
* 2009
* 2014
* 2019

* Referendums: 1987
* 2018
* 2020
* 2021

* Matignon Agreements
* Nouméa Accord

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

Politics of France

Constitutions

* Fifth Republic
* Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Executive

* President (list)
* Emmanuel Macron (LREM)

* * *

* Prime Minister (list)
* Gabriel Attal (LREM)

* * *

* Government
* Attal

Legislature

* National Assembly: Membership

President: Yaël Braun-Pivet
* Senate

President: Gérard Larcher
* Congress of the French Parliament

Judiciary

* Constitutional Council
* Council of State
* Court of Cassation
* Court of Audit
* Cour de Justice de la République

Administrative divisions

* Regions

* * *

* Metropolitan regions

* Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
* Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
* Brittany
* Centre-Val de Loire
* Corsica
* Grand Est
* Hauts-de-France
* Île-de-France
* Normandy
* Nouvelle-Aquitaine
* Occitania
* Pays de la Loire
* Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

* Overseas regions

* French Guiana
* Guadeloupe
* Martinique
* Mayotte
* Réunion

* Overseas country

* French Polynesia

* * *

* Departments

Elections

* Referendums
* Presidential
* Legislative
* Senate
* Municipal

* * *

* Political parties

Foreign relations

* Africa
* Americas
* Asia

* France and the United Nations

* Foreign alliances

* Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs

* * *

* Politics of the European Union

Related topics

* Centirism
* Human rights
* Political scandals

* France portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

New Caledonia is a French sui generis collectivity with a system of government based on parliamentarism and representative democracy. The President of the Government is the head of government, and there is a multi-party system, with Executive power being exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the executive and the Congress of New Caledonia. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

## Political developments[edit]

Article 77 of the Constitution of France and the Organic Law 99-209 confers a unique status on New Caledonia between that of an independent country and a regular collectivité d'outre-mer or overseas collectivité of France. A territorial congress and government have been established, and the 1998 Nouméa Accord organized a devolution of powers. Key areas such as taxation, labor law, health and hygiene and foreign trade are already in the hands of the Congress. Further powers will supposedly be given to the Congress in the near future.

Under article 4 of the Organic Law 99-209 a New Caledonian citizenship has also been introduced: only New Caledonian citizens (defined by article 188) have the right to vote in the local elections. This measure has been criticized, because it creates a second-class status for French citizens living in New Caledonia who do not possess New Caledonian citizenship (because they settled in the territory only recently). New Caledonia is also allowed to engage in international cooperation with independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. Finally, the territorial Congress is allowed to pass statutes that are contrary[further explanation needed] to French law in a certain number of areas.

On the other hand, New Caledonia remains an integral part of the French Republic. Inhabitants of New Caledonia are French citizens and carry French passports. They take part in the legislative and presidential French elections. New Caledonia sends two representatives to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French Senate. The representative of the French central state in New Caledonia is the High Commissioner of the Republic (Haut-Commissaire de la République, locally known as "haussaire"), who is the head of civil services, and who sits in the government of the territory.

The Nouméa Accord stipulates that the Congress will have the right to call for a referendum on independence after 2014, at a time of its choosing. Following the timeline set by the Nouméa Accord, the groundwork was laid for a Referendum on full independence from France at a meeting chaired by the French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe on 2 November 2017, with the referendum to be held by November 2018. Voter list eligibility had been a subject of a long dispute, but the details were resolved at this meeting.[1] In the 2018 referendum, voters narrowly chose to remain a part of France. Two further referendums were permitted, being held in 2020 and 2021. 2020 saw slimmer margins than in the 2018 referendum, with 46.74% in favor of independence, while the 2021 vote overwhelmingly rejected independence, with 96.49% against it but on only a 43.87% turnout.[2] Kanak communities largely boycotted this referendum, advised by their leadership and still in mourning following mortality in the covid-19 pandemic.[3]

The current president of the government elected by the Congress is Louis Mapou, from the pro-independence Palika political party.

In May 2024, riots broke out following controversial voting reforms. See 2024 New Caledonia unrest.

## Executive branch[edit]

Main office-holders  Office  | Name  | Party  | Since

|
|
|

High Commissioner  | Louis Le Franc  |  | 6 February 2023
President of the Government  | Louis Mapou | National Union for Independence-Palika | 22 July 2021

The high commissioner is appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior. The president of the government is elected by the members of the Territorial Congress.

## Legislative branch[edit]

The Congress (Congrès) has 54 members, being the members of the three regional councils, all elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. Furthermore, there is a 16-member Kanak Customary Senate (two members from each of the eight customary aires).

## Political parties and elections[edit]

For other political parties, see List of political parties in New Caledonia. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in New Caledonia.

### Latest territorial election[edit]

Party| Votes| %| Seats

|
|
|

Provincial
assemblies| +/–| Congress| +/–
| Future with Confidence| 32,336| 29.35| 23| +7| 18| +5
| Caledonia Together| 15,948| 14.48| 9| –11| 7| –8
| Caledonian Union–FLNKS| 14,255| 12.94| 15| –2| 9| –1
| National Union for Independence| 12,679| 11.51| 14| +3| 9| +2
| Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front| 11,269| 10.23| 7| +1| 6| +1
| Oceanian Awakening| 6,077| 5.52| 4| New| 3| New
| Labour Party| 4,182| 3.80| 2| 0| 1| 0
| National Rally| 2,707| 2.46| 0| 0| 0| 0
| Citizens' Alliance| 2,043| 1.85| 0| New| 0| New
| New Independence and Sovereignty Movement| 1,971| 1.79| 0| New| 0| New
| Building Differently| 1,852| 1.68| 0| New| 0| New
| Common Caledonian Destiny| 1,667| 1.51| 0| New| 0| New
| Kanak Socialist Liberation| 1,536| 1.39| 2| 0| 1| 0
| New and Reunited Caledonia| 841| 0.76| 0| New| 0| New
| Unitary Kanaky Generation| 800| 0.73| 0| New| 0| New
Total| 110,163| 100.00| 76| 0| 54| 0
Valid votes| 110,163| 97.70|
Invalid/blank votes| 2,597| 2.30|
Total votes| 112,760| 100.00|
Registered voters/turnout| 169,635| 66.47|
Source: New Caledonia Government

### Parliamentarians[edit]

#### French National Assembly[edit]

* Philippe Dunoyer (first constituency, Caledonia Together, CE) elected 2017
* Nicolas Metzdorf (second constituency, Générations NC, GNC) elected 2022

#### French Senate[edit]

* Pierre Frogier (The Rally) elected 2011
* Gérard Poadja (Caledonia Together, CE) elected 2017

## Judicial branch[edit]

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court

## Administrative divisions[edit]

Main article: Administrative divisions of New Caledonia

New Caledonia is divided into three provinces: Province des Îles, Province Nord, and Province Sud \- which are further subdivided into 33 communes.

* v
* t
* e

Administrative divisions of New Caledonia

Provinces|

* Loyalty Islands Province
* North Province
* South Province

Communes|

* Belep
* Boulouparis
* Bourail
* Canala
* Dumbéa
* Farino
* Hienghène
* Houaïlou
* L'Île-des-Pins
* Kaala-Gomen
* Koné
* Kouaoua
* Koumac
* La Foa
* Lifou
* Maré
* Moindou
* Le Mont-Dore
* Nouméa
* Ouégoa
* Ouvéa
* Païta
* Poindimié
* Ponérihouen
* Pouébo
* Pouembout
* Poum
* Poya
* Sarraméa
* Thio
* Touho
* Voh
* Yaté

## International organization participation[edit]

* French-Pacific Banking Agreement
* International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
* Pacific Islands Forum (associate)
* The Pacific Community (SPC)
* United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (associate)
* World Federation of Trade Unions
* World Meteorological Organization.

## See also[edit]

* Politics portal

* Ouvéa cave hostage taking

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Nouvelle-Calédonie : ce que contient l'" accord politique " sur le référendum d'autodétermination". Le Monde.
2. ^ "New Caledonia rejects independence in final vote amid boycott". Reuters. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
3. ^ 2021 New Caledonian independence referendum

## External links[edit]

### French[edit]

* French ministry of overseas territories

* v
* t
* e

Politics of Oceania

Sovereign states|

* Australia
* Federated States of Micronesia
* Fiji
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Nauru
* New Zealand
* Palau
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

Associated states
of New Zealand|

* Cook Islands
* Niue

Dependencies
and other territories|

* American Samoa
* Christmas Island
* Clipperton Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Easter Island
* French Polynesia
* Guam
* Hawaii
* New Caledonia
* Norfolk Island
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Pitcairn Islands
* Tokelau
* Wallis and Futuna

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template