Legislative elections were held in

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

on 8 February 1953.New Caledonia Election
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', February 1953, p16

Background

The elections were originally scheduled for March 1952.Native Members for Caledonian Council: Elections in March
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', February 1952, p33 Following amendments to the territory's electoral law approved in the first reading by the

French Parliament The French Parliament (french: Parlement français) is the bicameral legislature of the French Republic, consisting of the Senate () and the National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at separate locations in Paris: ...

in late 1951, the number of members of the General Council was increased to 25, 16 of which were to be elected by Europeans and nine by

Kanaks The Kanak ( French spelling until 1984: Canaque) are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. According to the 2019 census, the Kanak make up 41.2% of New Caledonia's ...

.Political Crisis in New Caledonia
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', April 1952, p12 At the time, the voter roll included around 10,000 European voters and around 8,000 Kanak voters who met educational requirements to register to vote. However, on the second reading of the bill, the proposed amendments were rejected by 356–256 in the National Assembly following a campaign by the territory's MP Maurice Lenormand, who demanded a common electoral roll. The bill was referred to a committee, but due to a government crisis, dealing with the issue was repeatedly postponed. The term of the sitting Council had expired on 19 January 1952, leaving no elected replacement.Strain in New Caledonia: Bitter Fight Over Votes for Natives
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', June 1952, p15 The

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the outgoing General Council Henri Bonneaud flew to France to request its term be extended, which was approved by a vote of 325–198 in the National Assembly. However, when it emerged that around 100 of the votes in favour had come from

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

MPs, all-but-one of the members of the General Council refused to continue sitting and handed in their resignation to the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

on 19 May.

Electoral system

A decree in 1952 created a single electoral roll and divided the territory into five constituencies. Seats were elected by

panachage Panachage (, from French meaning "blend, mixture") is the name given to a procedure provided for in several open-list variants of the party-list proportional representation system. It gives voters more than one vote in the same ballot and allows ...

and preferential voting. By the time of the election, the voter roll consisted of 10,511 Europeans and 9,832 Kanaks.

Results

Fifteen of the 25 seats were won by left-wing candidates led by Lenormand (including nine Kanaks) that became the

Caledonian Union The Caledonian Union (, UC) is a pro-independence and the oldest political party in New Caledonia. In the latest legislative elections of May 10, 2009, the party won around 11.65% of the popular vote, and 9 out of 54 seats in the Territorial Co ...

, eight by right-wing candidates from a bloc led by Bonneaud, and two by other candidates. Three pro-

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

candidates were all defeated.

Elected members

Aftermath

A by-election was held on 12 September 1954 after Maurice Bichon gave up his seat in the South constituency following his appointment as Paymaster General of

Conakry Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...

.Frédéric Anglevie (2006) ''Brève histoire politique de la Nouvelle-Calédonie contemporaine: 1945-2005'', p55 The election was won by the Lenormand group candidate Armand Ohlen, who defeated Roger Rolland of the Bonneaud group by 1,568 votes to 1,286.L’évolution politique de la Nouvelle-Calédonie de 1945 à 1983
Academic site of the geography and history of New Caledonia

References

{{New Caledonian elections

1953 in New Caledonia Elections in New Caledonia Election and referendum articles with incomplete results February 1953 events in Oceania