France: the end of New Caledonias sui generis status

This chapter discusses the ongoing crisis of legitimacy of French and regional institutions in New Caledonia. In December 2021, residents of New Caledonia were asked to vote for the third time in three years in a consultative referendum over independence from France. For the third time, the majority favoured the status quo. The result is, however, misleading. New Caledonia, like Northern Ireland, is a deeply divided consociative regional democracy that has endured a high level of political violence. In 2023, the new negotiation phase of the transitory regime will decide on the future status of New Caledonia within the French constitutional system. This chapter discusses two elements that sustain a perception of the illegitimacy of French state institutions in New Caledonia. The first element of change is the constitutional setting for the forthcoming 2023 negotiation process over the future status of the archipelago within the French Constitution. The second driver of change considered in this chapter focuses on the process of identity formation of both French and Kanak identities in New Caledonia.