51勛圖厙

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 29: France deviated from the path of peace in its overseas territory New Caledonia, a pro-independence politician said.The archipelago located in the Pacific has been tormented by civil unrest since May 13 when the French parliament adopted a bill to reform the electoral rules.Locals, however, are concerned that the changes will dilute the indigenous Kanak population's vote.Dominique Fochi, the secretary-general of one of the oldest political parties, the Caledonian Union, told Anadolu that the island was colonized by France in 1853.He recalled that Kanaks resisted France���s policy to keep the territory since then.Fochi also explained that some Kanaks were granted the right to vote in 1946, and the whole population could vote in 1957.Many French people came to New Caledonia in 1970 for professional purposes, destabilizing the demographic structure and the electoral body, and making the Kanaks a minority, according to Fochi.The politician added that the French government rushed to organize the third referendum in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while the referendums were held every two years.���The French state forced things to steal our victory, Fochi said. As a result, it breached the Noumea Accord. We considered the state as it has lost its impartiality from that moment.���In light of the 1998 Noumea Accord, those who came to the island after that year cannot be eligible to vote in the local elections.If the reform project is adopted, 25,900 new electors from France will add up to the electoral body -- and this represents 14% of the body, Fochi said.The current government is repeating the mistakes made in the 1980s, Fochi noted and explained that a Kanak delegation went to Paris to warn the lawmakers of the risk that the reform could bring. (Footage by Esra Taskin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)