Horse-trading begins as New Caledonia provincial presidents elected

New Caledonia's political landscape is taking shape as the newly elected presidents of its three provincial assemblies have been chosen. In the Southern province, the most populous and affluent region, Sonia Backès of the pro-France Loyalistes-Rassemblement secured a decisive victory, receiving 28 of the 40 votes. Her re-election was a formality, with no other candidates challenging her. The election of bureau members, including the Vice-President, also followed suit with the "Strong and United" front. The Northern Province saw a more contested election, pitting incumbent President Paul Néaoutyine against Pascal Sawa. Although Sawa's Union Calédonienne-FLNKS held a one-seat advantage, Néaoutyine secured the presidency with 12 votes, bolstered by last-minute support from other parties, including a pro-France group. This outcome led to Sawa's UC-FLNKS group walking out of the sitting, condemning what they called a "new alliance" and a "disrespect for the ballot results." Néaoutyine denied forming any specific alliance. In the Loyalty Islands province, the smallest of the three, Mickaël Forrest was elected president with eight of the nine votes, while his sister, Omayra Naisseline, was elected first Vice-President. Other vice-presidential roles were allocated to women from different parties.

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