In light of the upcoming early parliamentary elections, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday that a vote reform that had set off violent protests in the French Pacific region of New Caledonia would be “suspended”.
Instead, Macron told reporters at a news conference in Paris that his goal was to “give full voice to local dialogue and the restoration of order” following weeks of turmoil that claimed nine lives.
The reform would have unfrozen electoral rolls that have remained static since 2007 and permitted voters who have lived in New Caledonia for at least ten years to cast ballots in municipal elections.
The 270,000-person population’s vote might be diluted, indigenous Kanaks thought, making the country’s ultimate goal of gaining independence unattainable.
Although approved by both France’s National Assembly and Senate, the reform was waiting on a constitutional congress of both houses to become part of the basic law.“I have decided to suspend it, because we can’t leave things ambiguous in this period,” Macron said.
In actuality, the congress could not have taken place by the June 30 deadline, which is the day on which voters would cast their ballots in the election’s first round, because the National Assembly had been dissolved before to the election.
On May 13, violence erupted in New Caledonia in reaction to parliamentary votes in favor of the change.
Barricades, altercations with law enforcement, and theft resulted in the deaths of nine people, hundreds of injuries, and hundreds of millions of euros (or dollars) in damages.
Pro-independence movements had already written off the voting change due to Macron’s demand for early elections following his camp’s crushing defeat in Sunday’s European Parliament race.
“We can all agree that the European elections saw off the constitutional bill,” the Kanak Liberation Party (Palika) said Wednesday before Macron’s remarks.
“This should be a time for rebuilding peace and social ties,” it added.
