New Caledonia Holds First Provincial Elections Since 2019

New Caledonia held provincial elections on Sunday, the first such vote in the French overseas territory since 2019. Approximately 192,000 voters elected 76 councillors across three provincial assemblies: 40 in the South Province, 22 in the North Province and 14 in the Loyalty Islands.

Fifty-four of those elected will serve in the territory's congress, which passes local laws and selects up to 11 members of the collegial government.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time. About 2,500 police officers were deployed to secure and monitor stations, while France maintained a contingent of roughly 2,400 law enforcement personnel through mid-July.

The election follows a May 2026 law that added about 10,575 previously excluded native-born residents to the electoral roll, including more than 4,000 people with customary civil status. The vote had been delayed from its original 2024 date after talks on the territory's future stalled.

The main pro-independence group rejected the Bougival Accord, which would have created a Caledonian state and nationality enshrined in the French constitution while eliminating future independence referendums.

Three earlier referendums in 2018, 2020 and 2021 returned majorities in favor of remaining part of France. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that negotiations on New Caledonia’s future status will resume in July 2026 with the aim of reaching an agreement before the end of the year.

New Caledonia, located about 1,500 km east of Australia and home to roughly 270,000 people, was colonised by France in 1863 and became an overseas territory in 1946.