Pro- and anti-independence demos in New Caledonia split French island group
Around 40,000 demonstrators, half of them loyal to France, the other half pro-independence protesters, took to the streets in Nouméa on Saturday. The protest took aim at a planned expansion of the electoral list ahead of provincial elections later this year in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the Pacific.
The constitutional bill, which allows residents who have lived at least ten years in the territory to be elected, is currently under parliamentary review fuelling tensions between supporters and opponents of the island group's independence from France.
The demonstrators gathered in Nouméa's city centre, and were kept separated by law enforcement officers.
Increasing democratic participation of local inhabitants has put pro-independence groups at loggerheads with those who want to keep strong ties with Paris, and communication between the groups has stalled, in spite of Paris' efforts for intensified dialogue.
"This is France," said Guillaume (17,) a resident of Koumac, in the north of Grande-Terre. "We've voted 'no' to independence three times. If the independence supporters didn't want to vote, that's their problem," referring to the 2021 referendum that was boycotted by the opposition.
The relaxation of electoral regulations embedded in the constitutional bill could disrupt political balance set in 1998 after a period of violence and civil war.
(With newswires)
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