High voter turnout in New Caledonia: at 12 local time (3 am in Italy) the turnout was 32.39%, as reported by the High Commissioner of the Republic. A figure that is clearly up compared to “the previous elections when it was 13.06% in 2022 and 15.76% in 2017”. There are 229,000 inhabitants of New Caledonia called to the polls to elect the two deputies of the French territory of South Pacific and the authorities expect a much higher turnout than in the European elections, which ended with 86.5% abstention. The vote in New Caledonia took place “for the vast majority without incident and in a safe manner”, reported the High Commissioner of the Republic in the archipelago, where tensions remain high after violent unrest last month caused by the electoral reform rejected by the separatists.
The only episode of violence during the election day occurred in Houailou, a town located on the eastern coast, where access to the town hall was blocked by rioters, who prevented the opening of the polling stations. Meanwhile, after the overseas territories, it is the turn of mainland France, called to vote in the first round of the early legislative elections called by the president Emmanuel Macron after the victory of the far right in the European elections. Polls open from 8am to 6pm, until 8pm in the major centres. The second round is set for July 7, only then will the outcome of the electoral round be known with certainty, but the situation will already be outlined in the evening and the head of the Elysée has scheduled a government meeting for tomorrow.
