Noumea [New Caledonia], June 29: An anti-independence coalition has come out ahead in New Caledonia's long-delayed provincial elections, but has failed to secure a governing majority, leaving a small minority party to decide who will run the French-ruled territory in the southwest Pacific.
Provisional results released on Sunday gave the main loyalist coalition 24 of the 54 seats in New Caledonia's Congress, the body that passes local laws and appoints the territory's government. That left the grouping four seats short of an absolute majority.
Pro-independence parties took a total of 26 seats but these are divided among three blocs. A party representing one of the archipelago's smaller communities won the remaining four.
The outcome matters far beyond the seat count, as it sets the terms for fraught negotiations with Paris over the territory's long-term future. The election was the first major test of opinion since deadly unrest convulsed the islands two years ago.
At its heart, the contest pits two camps against each other - loyalists who want New Caledonia to remain part of France, and a pro-independence movement that wants it to break away.
Source: Qatar Tribune