Loyalist Nicolas Metzdorf is leading in New Caledonia

According to provisional results communicated by the High Commission of the Islands, the candidate for the first constituency, which is mainly composed of Noumea, Nicolas Metzdorf, the outgoing representative of the second constituency, received 39.81% of the votes.

“This is a victory for the political line, for steadfastness in the face of disruption, and for political strategy, for the coalition,” Nicolas Metzdorff told AFP, expressing his delight. “The work is not done yet (…) There is a second round and we have to go and win it,” he added.

Next Sunday he will face Caledonian Alliance member and independentist Omayra Naisseline, who won 36.34% of the vote in a well-turned election.

Outgoing deputy, moderate non-independent Philippe Dunoyer (Caledonian Orchestra – Horizon), came in third with 10.33% of the vote and was eliminated.

Nicolas Metzdorf (NC Generation), a member of the Loyalist coalition that runs a single-candidate campaign in two constituencies in the French territory in the South Pacific, was elected in 2022 with the colors of the Renaissance, but this time he is running without a label.

In the city of Noumea alone, Nicolas Metzdorf received 53.64% of the votes, while Omaira Nesselin received 17.33%. The rest of the constituency consists of several islands, most of which were won by separatists, but have smaller populations.

The vote, which was closely watched across the archipelago, saw a turnout of 60.02%, compared to 32.51% during the first round of legislative elections in 2022.

In the second constituency, independent candidate Emmanuel Tjibaou, one of the sons of Kanak leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, who was assassinated in 1989, came in first with 44.06 percent of the vote.

He will face non-independent Republican-LR local chairman Alcide Ponga (36.18%) in the second round.

The possible election of New Caledonia’s first pro-independence representative will depend on the results of the polls, in particular the votes of the Milakulo Tukumuli (Oceanic Awakening based on Wallis and Futunian voters), which came in third with 11.92% of the votes cast.

New Caledonia has suffered its worst violence in the past 40 years since 13 May, but the High Commission was pleased that the vote was “conducted entirely without incident and in a secure manner”.

However, voting could not take place in the small town of Vairo on the east coast of the archipelago, which gathered less than 4,000 voters: the access to the town hall was blocked and the polling station could not be opened.