The Congress of New Caledonia opens a crucial session on electoral reform this Monday at 13:30 p.m., just weeks before the provincial elections scheduled for June 28. This highly sensitive issue, at the heart of the 2024 violence, has abruptly resurfaced in the local political debate as institutions continue to seek a lasting solution to the crisis.
The text under consideration aims to modify the rules for registering voters authorized to participate in provincial elections. Since the Nouméa Accord, the electoral roll has been frozen in order to preserve a political balance favorable to the Kanak people. However, several thousand residents who have been living on the archipelago for years remain excluded from the electoral lists, a situation contested by loyalist parties.
A reform that remains explosive two years after the riots
The previous attempt to expand the electorate sparked an explosion of violence in May 2024, resulting in several deaths and billions of euros in damages. The government ultimately suspended its plan following the dissolution of the National Assembly and rising tensions between pro-independence and pro-government supporters.
Since then, several political agreements have attempted to reshape the institutional future of New Caledonia, notably the Bougival Agreement signed in 2025. This agreement provides for a partial opening of the electoral roll and a new status for the archipelago within the French Republic. However, the issue remains far from reaching a consensus, particularly within the pro-independence FLNKS.
The political calendar is tightening dangerously.
The French government is now pushing for an institutional solution to be found before the provincial elections in June 2026. These elections are strategic as they determine the composition of the Caledonian Congress, the central institution of local power.
In the absence of a comprehensive agreement, several scenarios remain under consideration: maintaining the current electoral roll, partial opening via an organic law, or a broader reform requiring a constitutional amendment. In a territory still deeply scarred by the clashes of 2024, each option now risks reigniting political and identity-based tensions.
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