New Caledonia Returns to Polls After Violence Over Voting Rights

New Caledonia held provincial elections on June 28, 2026—its first in seven years—after Paris's 2024 attempt to expand voting eligibility triggered riots that killed residents, damaged infrastructure, and halted nickel exports. The core dispute persists: France limited voting to preserve the Kanak majority's political power, while independence parties see any change as undermining their post-referendum position.