Loyalists Gain but No Majority in New Caledonia Congress

Overview

• The provincial elections held on June 28 produced provisional results giving Les Loyalistes–Le Rassemblement 24 of 54 Congress seats, pro‑independence lists 26, and Éveil océanien 4.
• In the populous Province Sud the loyalist list led by Sonia Backès secured 50.14% of the vote, strengthening the non‑independence bloc in the territory’s political and economic center.
• Turnout fell to 63.71 percent versus 66.50 percent in 2019, and roughly 2,400 security personnel including 1,120 gendarmes mobiles were deployed through mid‑July for a calm but closely watched vote.
• No single camp can form an executive alone so Éveil océanien is now the balance of power and coalition bargaining will decide the Congress president and the collegial government.
• The new arithmetic will frame the resumption of institutional negotiations with France, set to begin in July, where sharp divisions remain after the Bougival agreement split the independence movement.