Legislative elections were held in New Caledonia on 28 June 2026 to elect members of the Congress of New Caledonia. The elections had previously been scheduled to be held on 15 December 2024 but were postponed by a year after unrest and then postponed again following the Bougival Accord.

While the autonomist and loyalist bloc, led by Sonia Backès and The Loyalists, received the most votes, the separatist bloc, led by Pierre-Chanel Tutugoro and the alliance of the Caledonian Union and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), retained the most seats. Neutral parties retained the balance of power. Kingmaker candidate of the centrist Oceanian Awakening was elected as the new President. He is the first person of Wallisian descent to hold the office.

Background

An independence referendum was held in New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific, on 12 December 2021. The vote was the third and final one to be held under the terms of the Nouméa Accord, following votes in 2018 and 2020. As a result of the referendum taking place amid a boycott from the independence parties, the results were extremely lopsided in favor of status quo: voters overwhelmingly rejected independence, with 96% voting against independence and 4% in favour (compared to a 57% and 53% against independence in 2018 and 2020). French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the results of the referendum, adding that France "is more beautiful because New Caledonia has decided to stay part of it."

While the Kanak independence movement continues to demand full self-determination, many French officials see extending voting rights as essential for democratic fairness in the territory. The adoption of the voter list bill in May 2024 by the French parliament which would allow French citizens residing in New Caledonia for at least ten years to take part in local elections, led to mass riots by pro-independence groups that turned violent, prompting French president Emmanuel Macron to declare a state of emergency and fly thousands of police and army reinforcements to the faraway territory. In October 2024, then-French Prime Minister Michel Barnier scrapped the bill, citing the need to restore calm and telling the National Assembly that "avoiding further unrest" was a priority.

On 16 January 2025, Alcide Ponga was sworn in as President of the Government of New Caledonia, forming a new government following the collapse of the pro-independence government led by Louis Mapou. His leadership has been described as bringing stability following the 2024 unrest and a continuation for New Caledonia to remain within the French Republic.

On 12 July 2025, the Ministry of the Overseas, and both pro and anti-independence signed the Bougival Accord, delaying the elections until 2026.

Electoral system Voters elect 76 members to the assemblies of the three provinces of New Caledonia (40 for South Province, 22 for North Province, and 14 for the Loyalty Islands Province). In turn, 54 also become members of the Congress of New Caledonia (32 from South Province, 15 from North Province, and 7 from Loyalty Islands Province).

The elections are held under party-list proportional representation using a 5% electoral threshold and the highest averages method to allocate seats. The elections used a restricted roll, which restricts voting depending on how long someone has lived in New Caledonia. Only persons residing in New Caledonia since at least 8 November 1998 (and their children, once they reach the age of majority) are able to vote.

Results

By bloc

Provincial Assemblies North

South

Loyalty Islands

Aftermath On 9 July 2026, a governance agreement was reached between the lists Les Loyalistes – The Rally and Oceanian Awakening : Virginie Ruffenach (R-LR) was to become president of the Congress and (EO) was to become President of the Government, the first person of Wallisian descent to be elected in that office. He was congratulated by Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. He unveiled his new cabinet on 6 August 2026.

Notes

References