non-independence Alcide Ponga elected president of government

After a first unsuccessful attempt the day before, the new government of New Caledonia appointed its president, the non-independence Alcide Ponga, on Wednesday January 8.

The eleven members of the government of the French archipelago in the South Pacific gathered again for the election of their president and this time gathered six votes in favor of Mr. Ponga, from the Rassemblement-Les Républicains movement.

His competitor, Samuel Hnepeune, obtained three of the five independence votes. The National Union for Independence, which has two seats, chose to abstain.

Mayor of Kouaoua

Alcide Ponga comes from a non-independence Kanak family. Mayor since 2014 of the small mining town of Kouaoua, on the east coast of the main island, he has also been president of Rassemblement-Les Républicains since April 21, 2024. He is the first Kanak to occupy this position.

A political science graduate, Mr. Ponga, 49, spent his career in the mining sector, now in great difficulty but which remains the leading provider of private employment in the archipelago. He succeeds the independentist Louis Mapou, whose government was overthrown on December 24, 2024 with the departure of the center-right Calédonie ensemble party.

The new government was elected on Tuesday by the Congress of New Caledonia, the territory's deliberative assembly, but failed to immediately agree on a president. Some of the separatists, including Caledonia together, then abstained despite the candidacy of Philippe Dunoyer, from their ranks. He announced his resignation from the government, less than an hour after the election, due to divisions within the non-independence group.

Louis Mapou overthrown for his “lack of firmness” against the State

More than seven months after violent riots, the archipelago has been plunged into uncertainty by the overthrow of the government in place for three years. The members of the New Caledonian government are elected by a list vote. In the event of resignation, it is the next person on the resignation who takes the place of the person resigning. Only the resignation of the entire list causes the fall of the government.

This is the scenario that occurred on December 24, with the departure from Caledonia together. The movement criticized the executive of Louis Mapou for its “lack of firmness” facing the State as part of discussions for aid in the reconstruction of the territory.

The community's economy was brought down by the insurrection which began on May 13, 2024, after the adoption by the National Assembly in Paris of a very controversial reform of the Caledonian electoral body. Located 17,000 kilometers from Paris, New Caledonia was ravaged by six months of insurrectional tensions, against a backdrop of pro-independence protests from the electorate in the provincial elections, crucial for the territory.

The unrest cost the lives of 14 people and caused more than 2 billion euros in damage. The vote, which was to take place in 2024, must be held at the end of 2025.