Kanak leader elected to French National Assembly after 38 years

Emmanuel Tjibaou has made New Caledonian history by winning a seat in the French National Assembly. He is the first independent Kanak leader to serve in the French legislature in Paris in 38 years.

Emmanuel Tjibaou, 47, ran for the “Independence and Nationalism” coalition. Despite the controversy among the pro-independence parties, they all supported Tjibaou in the second constituency. He won 57.01% of the vote in the runoff against Alcide Ponga of the Liberal Alliance Party.

Emmanuel is the son of the late Jean-Marie Tjibaou, who founded the independence alliance National Liberation Front of Kanak and Socialism (FLNKS) and was assassinated in 1989.

Emmanuel Tjibaou’s victory shows the power of the new generation in New Caledonia. He is a cultural worker, not a traditional politician. He was director of the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Noumea and is now cultural director of the North Province. He is supported by Amandine Dallas, an environmentalist of Caledonian descent.

Their campaign has received strong support from young people, including those involved in recent protests. Tjibaou’s last TikTok message resonated with many. “Thank you to the young people of our country who mobilized in the first round of elections – we are sitting here, following the path mapped out by our elders. We are waiting for you to participate in the second round of legislative elections… I am waiting for you – everyone go vote!” he said, sitting in a traditional Kanak house.

The call to action worked. The independence movement outvoted the anti-independence forces by 9,366 votes, dealing a major blow to the loyalist bloc and the French government’s Pacific policy.

The last Kanak independence leader in the French National Assembly was Roque Pichot, who served from 1978 to 1986. After 1986, the French government changed electoral boundaries, making it difficult for independence movements to win seats. However, last September, Kanak politician Robert Sauvy won a seat in the French Senate. With Tjibaou now in the lower house, the French government will have the voices of native Kanaks and independence supporters heard.

New Caledonia’s other National Assembly seat was won by Nicolas Metzdorf of the Royalist-Patriotic Union party. Metzdorf was re-elected after serving as a member of the French parliament from 2022 to 2024.