Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has delayed voting reforms in New Caledonia after violent separatist protests in the former French colony.
The planned reform, which has already been passed by lawmakers in mainland France but not yet ratified, would expand voting rights in local elections to anyone who has been living in New Caledonia for at least 10 years.
Many of the indigenous Kanak population – who make up about 40 per cent of the island’s 270,000 residents – see the reform as a threat to their voice and any future referendums on independence.
On Thursday, during a last-minute visit to French territory in the south-west Pacific, Mr Macron said that more discussions were needed between local leaders on who should come up with an alternative for the island’s future.
“I have pledged that this reform will not pass today in the current context,” he said after an intense day of meetings on the island with local officials.
“We will allow some weeks to allow a calming of tensions and resumption of dialogue to find a broad accord.”
Mr Macron said that he would reevaluate the situation within a month once all local stakeholders could come to an agreement on how to proceed.
Violent protests began on May 13 shortly after lawmakers in Paris approved the measure.
Seven people have been killed during the riots, dozens injured and hundreds of local businesses damaged, in the worst outbreak of violence in the territory since the 1980s.
The island is currently under a state of emergency and more than 1,000 security reinforcements have been sent from the French mainland to assist the 1,700 local police forces and gendarmes.
The French president said that the reinforcements would remain in the archipelago for “as long as necessary”, even if they have to remain on the island during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
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