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 6 October 1957.New Caledonia Polls: The Most Important Election Ever
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', October 1957, p15 The result was a victory for 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 ...

, which won 18 of the 30 seats.

Electoral system

Prior to the elections the 25-seat General Council was replaced by a 30-seat Territorial Assembly. The new body was elected by open list

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

.New Governing Body for New Caledonia
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', August 1957, p164 The elections were held under universal suffrage, with around 33,600 registered voters, of which 18,964 were Kanaks and 13,406 Europeans.

Campaign

A total of 123 candidates contested the 30 seats, representing eight parties. The campaign started on 16 September, and was reported by ''

Pacific Islands Monthly ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', commonly referred to as "PIM", was a magazine founded in 1930 in Sydney by New Zealand born journalist R.W. Robson. Background ''Pacific Islands Monthly'' was started in Sydney in 1930. The first issue ran in August ...

'' to have been "mild, with hardly an unkind word exchanged".

Results

Of the 30 elected members, 17 were Europeans and 13

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 ...

Elected members

Aftermath

An eight-member cabinet was elected by the Territorial Assembly in late October. All eight ministers were from the

.N. Caledonia Elects New Cabinet
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1957, p24

References

{{New Caledonian elections

1957 in New Caledonia Elections in New Caledonia Election and referendum articles with incomplete results