Les Loyalistes (The Loyalists) is a coalition of anti-independence centrist and

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

political parties 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 ...

. The Loyalist coalition is led by

Sonia Backès Sonia Backès ( née Dos Santos; born 21 May 1976) is a French politician in New Caledonia. She is the current leader of the Caledonian Republicans party and the President of the Provincial Assembly of South Province since May 17, 2019. In 2 ...

. The parties involved are the

Caledonian Republicans The Caledonian Republicans (french: Les Républicains calédoniens; abbreviated LRC) is a liberal-conservative political party in New Caledonia. The party's founding congress was held on 7 December 2017 at Nouvata Hotel in the capital Nouméa, bu ...

, the Caledonian People's Movement (MPC), and Générations NC. In a referendum, Future with Confidence, Générations NC, Tous Calédoniens, and the National Rally have decided to choose "The Loyalists" as its name and the slogan "Mon non est Nouvelle-Calédonie" ("My no is New Caledonia"). In December 2021, in the following referendum, they took the name "Les Voix du Non". On April 13, 2022, a congress was held, and the group "The Loyalists" was created through 12 elected representatives of Congress, with all but one supporting the re-election of Emmanuel Macron for the second round of the presidential election of April 24, 2022. The group was chaired by Françoise Suve. Virginie Ruffenach declared on the same day that she remained head of the L’Avenir en confiance group. In 2022, Sonia Backès, Naïa Wateou, Christopher Gygès, and Willy Gatuhau signed a column on behalf of the

, calling for them to not be forced to be supporters of

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

. The forum reads: "The three referendums closed the period of the Nouméa agreement. At the end of this process, France, like the international community, recognized the majority desire of Caledonians to remain French. ... The MPC does not join the June 2022 legislative elections that were initiated by the Caledonian Republicans, Générations NC, and

Caledonia Together Caledonia Together (french: Calédonie ensemble) is a political party in New Caledonia. The party was established on 14 October 2008 as a split from Future Together led by Philippe Gomès. The party is centrist and opposed to independence. Futu ...

, stating that they want a "broader union", including "all loyalist personalities". Emmanuel Macron lost his majority in France's lower-house

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. On 15 April 2024, during the

unrest Unrest, also called disaffection, is a sociological phenomenon, including: * Civil unrest * Civil disorder * Domestic terrorism * Industrial unrest * Labor unrest * Rebellion * Riot * Strike action * State of emergency Notable historical instance ...

, The Loyalists and Le Rassemblement staged competing marches in

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, a ...

in response to the proposed French constitutional amendment to extend suffrage to those who had been residing in New Caledonia for an uninterrupted 10 years. The Loyalists have been advocating the government's proposal to open up the electorate. However, the former senator

Pierre Frogier Pierre Frogier (born 16 November 1950, Nouméa, New Caledonia) is a French politician, who was President of the Government of New Caledonia from 2001 to 2004. He has been French senator for New Caledonia since 2011, and was member of the Nati ...

(

Les Républicains The Republicans (french: Les Républicains, ; LR) is a liberal-conservative political party in France, largely inspired by the Gaullist tradition. It holds pro-European views. The party was formed on 30 May 2015 from the renaming and refoundation ...

) has argued for a partition of New Caledonia, with one electoral roll per province.

References

{{New Caledonian political parties 2020 establishments in France Right-wing parties in France Presidency of Emmanuel Macron Electoral reform in France National Assembly (France) Political parties in New Caledonia Political parties established in 2020