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Violence in New Caledonia: the thawing of the electoral body hotly contested
Violence in New Caledonia: the thawing of the electoral body hotly contested
(FRANCEINFO)
New Caledonia experienced an evening of clashes between police and demonstrators on Monday May 13. The government wants to authorize people who have arrived there since 1998 to vote, which the separatists consider dangerous.
Vehicles were set on fire, stores looted, and clashes broke out between demonstrators and police on Monday May 13, in Noumea, New Caledonia. Earlier in the day, Kanak separatists had marched against the constitutional reform wanted by Paris. The government wants to put an end to the freezing of the electorate, adopted 26 years ago. This text prevents all people who have arrived since 1998 from voting. Gérald Darmanin wants to put an end to it. The Minister of the Interior sees “a moral obligation for those who believe in democracy“.
Last month, thousands of people claimed “loyalists” had marched to extend the right to vote. Those who oppose it and who marched on Monday believe that this thaw would reduce the influence of the Kanak people. If it passes, “he will extinguish the struggle of the Kanak people“, warns a demonstrator. The deputies must decide on Tuesday.
