French premier says New Caledonia provincial elections to be held on June 28

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Friday that provincial elections in New Caledonia will be held on June 28 after France’s National Assembly refused to examine a constitutional reform bill linked to the Bougival agreement.

“The State will organize them on June 28 with all necessary guarantees of neutrality and security,” Lecornu said in a video message published on the US social media company X.

Addressing New Caledonians, Lecornu said the political deadlock and the territory’s economic and social conditions had become an immediate priority for the government.

He said dialogue resumed after the National Assembly rejected examination of the constitutional reform bill despite its approval in the Senate in the first reading.

“The bill could ultimately have failed to pass after debate, that is democracy,” he noted. “But instead, a procedural rejection prevailed.”

Lecornu said the government gathered all signatories of the Bougival agreement, along with other New Caledonian political parties, to restart discussions.

“Because the State must speak with everyone, because it serves everyone,” he added.

The premier warned that preserving the current situation would not guarantee stability in the territory.

“The status quo is not a destiny,” he said, adding that it “may even become the seedbed for renewed violence.”

Lecornu further stressed that the status quo “blocks the decolonization process” and weakens the island’s economic stability.

He said all parties agreed to continue dialogue with the French state and among themselves.

The premier added that the elections should allow debate not only on institutional issues, but also on economic, social, environmental, educational, and public health matters.