Lecornu was in charge of matters related to a series of three self-determination referendums in New Caledonia. Photo: AFP / Delphine Mayeur / Hans Lucas
French President Emmanuel Macron's new choice for a prime minister has triggered immediate and diverse reactions in New Caledonia, hours following his appointment on Tuesday in Paris.
Sébastien Lecornu, 39, was appointed after former PM François Bayrou was toppled in a parliament motion of defiance on Monday.
He formally took office during a brief handover ceremony on Wednesday.
Lecornu is no stranger to New Caledonia. As a former Minister for Overseas (2020-2022), at a crucial time in the French Pacific territory's recent history, he was in charge of matters related to a series of three self-determination referendums held between 2018 and 2021.
Lecornu decided to maintain the third referendum which took place on 12 December 2021 at a time when New Caledonia was gripped by a spate of Covid-19 epidemic there. The referendum was largely boycotted by the pro-independence indigenous movement.
After the three referendums - all resulting in a rejection of independence for New Caledonia - Lecornu attempted to bring all political parties around the same table to try and define a new political status and future roadmap for New Caledonia, but to no avail.
Since February 2025, Manuel Valls, the outgoing Minister for Overseas (and a former PM under previous French Socialist President François Hollande), managed to restore dialogue and political talks between all local parties, pro-France and pro-independence.
This resulted in the signing of a document dubbed the "Bougival" agreement, to sketch a new political status for New Caledonia, including the denomination of "State of New Caledonia", a dual France-New Caledonia nationality and a transfer of key powers (such as Foreign Affairs) from France to its Pacific territory.
However, even though it had initially signed the document on 12 July, one of the main components of the pro-independence movement, the FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front) later denounced the agreement and the signature of its negotiators. The FLNKS said the deal was in contradiction with the movement's goals, a "lure of independence" and did not reflect the party's struggle for short-term full sovereignty.
The Bougival deal is now entering some of its implementation phases, including an endorsement by the French Cabinet and a vote by both Houses of Parliament before the end of 2025.
The implementation includes a constitutional amendment and the postponement of local provincial elections (already postponed to end of November 2025) to mid-2026.
New Caledonia's Congress is scheduled to debate on 15 September on the postponement of crucial provincial elections.
And a referendum is to be held no later than 28 February 2026 for eligible New Caledonians to pronounce themselves on the Bougival deal.
Meanwhile, the text was published at the French Republic's Official Gazette on Saturday 6 September.
On the pro-France side, political leaders on Wednesday applauded Lecornu's appointment.
"I think we're very lucky. He knows New Caledonia's issues very well. No one needs to explain things to him," pro-France Les Loyalistes and Southern province President Sonia Backès told public broadcaster NC la 1ère.
"It's an excellent choice," an elated New Caledonia's MP for New Caledonia Nicolas Metzdorf said, adding Lecornu's appointment means "New Caledonia's issues will now be placed on top of the pile" on the French PM's desk.
While Lecornu's appointment as Prime Minister is widely hailed by the pro-France political leaders, there have also been unfavourable reactions from the pro-independence parties.
On the pro-independence side, reactions were much more cautious.
'Does not augur well for New Caledonia's future': FLNKS
The pro-independence FLNKS political bureau, in a release on Wednesday, says Lecornu's appointment as PM "does not augur well for (New Caledonia's) future... given his close association with radical loyalist (pro-France) parties".
However, the FLNKS stresses it remains open to dialogue.
It also asks Lecornu to maintain the Provincial elections at the originally scheduled date (no later than 30 November 2025).
Another faction of the pro-independence movement, is UNI (Union Nationale pour l'Indépendance), a caucus which comprises two moderate pro-independence parties - PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and UPM (Progressist Union in Melanesia) - that have distanced themselves from FLNKS in August 2024 after the deadly riots in May.
The 2024 riots were triggered by protests against a French constitutional amendment purporting to modify the conditions of eligibility and allow more French citizens to vote at local elections, a move that was perceived as a way of "diluting" the indigenous Kanaks'vote.
Following the riots, the constitutional amendment project, regarded as a "passage en force" by its pro-independence opponents, was eventually scrapped.
UNI representatives are among the pro-independence parties who have signed the Bougival agreement, saying the deal still made it possible to gradually attain full sovereignty, albeit not in the short term.
Who will be the next Overseas Minister?
UNI leader Jean-Pierre Djaïwé showed reservations on Wednesday, saying he and his copartisans were "concerned".
According to Djaïwé, the main question is whether Valls will be re-appointed Minister for Overseas in the new Cabinet, and whether he will remain in charge of New Caledonia's issues.
"If this is the case, then we may continue with the Bougival agreement. But if it's someone else (than Valls for Minister for Overseas in the next cabinet), then we would certainly hold meetings to re-assess the situation," Djaïwé warned.
Taking into account personalities at play, another question could be: who will be effectively in charge of New Caledonia under the next government: the Prime Minister? The Minister for Overseas? Or both?
And will the Bougival agreement's implementation be pursued without the FLNKS, amounting to what opponents describe as a "passage en force"?
Macron said Lecornu's first task will be to act as negotiator with a wide range of political parties to possibly strike power-sharing and coalition deals before a Cabinet (including a new Minister for Overseas) is announced at a yet unspecified date.
