Pacific / New Caledonia

New Caledonia's Palika party wants people to vote left in Sunday's first French election

20:38 pm on 8 April 2022

A pro-independence party in New Caledonia, Palika, is urging people to vote for any left politician in the first round of the French presidential election on Sunday.

Leader of French left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) and candidate for the presidential election Jean-Luc Melenchon Photo: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

The Kanak party said there was a strong link between the French political left and the pro-independence movement of New Caledonia.

While Palika hasn't mentioned him, Jean-Luc Melenchon is the strongest left-wing candidate in the election, looking to unseat Emmanuel Macron.

He called the outcome of last year's referendum, which was boycotted by all pro-independence parties, a catastrophe.

He said the French government destroyed the consensus process of the Accord by imposing last December's referendum date and triggering a huge abstention by the pro-independence side.

Melenchon has suggested keeping the 1998 Noumea Accord going for another decade.