France Declares State Of Emergency As Riots Break Out In New Caledonia Over Electoral Reform

A police officer and three other people died in riots over an electoral reform in New Caledonia.

France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific Island of New Caledonia on Wednesday.

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France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific Island of New Caledonia on Wednesday. This comes after a police officer and three other people died in riots over an electoral reform. According to news agency Reuters, the state of emergency entered into force at 5 a.m. local time (1800 GMT). It gives additional powers to authorities to ban gatherings and forbid people from moving around the French-ruled island.

The riots broke out over a new bill adopted by French lawmakers in Paris on Tuesday. According to the Reuters report, the new bill will let French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years vote in provincial elections. According to The Washington Post, local leaders and critics believe that the new bill could possibly marginalise the Indigenous Kanak population and benefit pro-French politicians. The National Assembly adopted the revision overnight.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said, "No violence will be tolerated," as quoted by Reuters. He further stated that the state of emergency "will allow us to roll out massive means to restore order." Attal signed a decree declaring a state of emergency that will last for 12 days. He also announced that French soldiers would be used to secure New Caledonia's main port and airport, as per the Reuters report.

Speaking at a news briefing, government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot said on Wednesday, “On behalf of the government, I reiterate before you the call for calm and appeasement,” as quoted by the Washington Post. She paid tribute to the four people who lost their lives in the unrest and called for “the resumption of political dialogue” to find a solution to the violence.

According to French law, “A state of emergency can be declared in situations of “imminent danger resulting from serious breaches of public order.” According to Reuters, authorities also decided to impose a ban on the video app TikTok. According to the government, the app helped rioters organise and amplify the chaos, attracting troublemakers to the streets during a bout of riots on France's mainland last summer.