The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Tuesday that a constitutional reform specific to New Caledonia would be held “on the basis of a consensus”, as provided for by the Nouméa Accords of 1998 which are about to expire.
At the end of the three self-determination referendums which rejected independence, the process of decolonization of the archipelago will continue with this change of status, the degree and ambition of which will depend on the timetable and on what we know how to agree on, he specified during an interview on New Caledonia the 1st, RRB and Caledonia.
In any case, a change in the Constitution will be necessary and this change will take place, declared the president.
This reform will concern New Caldonia, and I accept it as such. And after speaking with the President of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate, I also know that they share this desire for this subject to have its own constitutional framework, added the President, who also opened up a reflection on a broader reform of the Constitution.
For the time being, negotiations on the institutional future of the archipelago are stalling, the separatists rejecting the result of the 3rd referendum which they had boycotted.
The Nouma Accords, which initiated the process of decolonization of Caillou, provide for a reform of its status following the three referendums. The political organization set up in 1998 which allows it a very large autonomy, will remain until this constitutional modification.
It is also necessary to delete these Agreements which were included in articles 76 and 77 of the Constitution at the time.
New elections scheduled for 2024
For the time being, the collegiate executive is made up of 11 members, elected proportionally by Congress. An atypical institution, it has established a consensual democracy in New Caldonia and not a majority.
Right to employment, taxation, vocational training, foreign trade, maritime services, labor law, civil security, secondary education are among the powers exercised by the government.
The French State, for its part, exercises sovereign powers: justice, defence, public order, currency and foreign affairs.
The question of the electoral body is also posed, for which President Macron wished on Tuesday to find consensus, there too, between the political forces for a thaw.
The Nouma agreement provided that a minimum period of residence of 10 years was necessary to vote in provincial elections in order to prevent the arrival of new populations from distorting the balance of power between independentists and non-independentists. The constitutional reform of 2007 further tightened the conditions for access to this electoral body, by establishing a deadline for arrival in the territory. Since then, the electorate has been the subject of permanent controversy in the archipelago.
However, new provincial elections must take place in 2024, hence the requirement of the non-independentists to reopen the electoral body, since they believe that the process of decolonization which had led to this exception to universal suffrage is closed. The separatists, who until now had refused any concessions, recently agreed to open negotiations.
I salute the spirit of discussion and openness of the political forces which are moving forward on this subject, Mr. Macron congratulated himself on Tuesday.