In an interview with “Parisien”, the President of the Republic said he was open to submitting the reform of the thaw of the Caledonian electorate to the vote of all French people, via a referendum. He nevertheless indicates that he prefers that a global agreement be found between separatists and non-independenceists at the local level.
Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to submit the contested reform of the electoral body in New Caledonia to a national referendum, particularly if local elected officials failed to agree among themselves on the subject, in an interview with Le Parisien published on Saturday.
“I can go to the referendum at any time” on this reform already adopted by the Senate then the Assembly, argued Emmanuel Macron, who had already touched on the hypothesis on Thursday, from Nouméa, where he went after the outbreak of violent riots.
After a vote in the same terms by both chambers of Parliament, the president can in fact choose, to ratify a constitutional reform, to convene a referendum or the Congress, that is to say the meeting of deputies and senators at Versailles. It is this last option which was until then favored, while parliamentarians had to ratify this unfreezing of the electoral body before the “end of June”Emmanuel Macron indicated in mid-May.
But in the meantime the archipelago has experienced several days of riots which left seven dead, while the separatists reject this reform which would lead to the integration into the electorate of people living in the territory for at least 10 years. The Kanak fear that their influence will be diluted in this way.
This situation precipitated a lightning visit from President Macron, pressured by the opposition and part of his own camp to reject this Congress. A request which the Head of State did not grant, while promising that there would be no “passage by force” and giving one month to provide an update.
I assume a gesture of appeasement and openness, but I will never make a decision to postpone or suspend under the pressure of violence.
Emmanuel Macron, in an interview with “Parisien”
The president reiterated his desire for New Caledonian elected officials to agree on “a global agreement which would enrich the text already voted by Parliament”. A challenge when the dialogue between separatists and non-separatists seemed to be at a standstill, at least until the arrival of Emmanuel Macron.
“They all gave me the commitment to resume the global discussion”indicated Emmanuel Macron, estimating that“we cannot say that I did not do my best to give peace every chance”.
The head of state had thus opened the door to a vote by Caledonians on a potential agreement born from discussions between local elected officials. With the hope of reducing the tension which still remained high on Saturday. “Even if we come to the end of the violence, we will have to live together again. That’s the hardest part”agreed the chief executive.