Naima Moutchou during a session devoted to the Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu general policy statement at the Senate in Paris. Photo: AFP / Magali Cohen
Naïma Moutchou, France's newly appointed Minister for Overseas, has postponed her first visit to New Caledonia, amid urgent budget talks in Paris, and upon request from Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Moutchou was supposed to fly to the Frencht territory over the weekend in a bid to engage all parties into further talks on New Caledonia's political future.
Her visit was supposed to last four days (3-7 November) and include a mix of political meetings with all stakeholders, as well as visits on the ground.
As French parliament last week endorsed an "organic" bill to postpone New Caledonia's provincial elections (originally scheduled to be held not later than 30 November 2025) to not later than 28 June 2026, one of the aims was to re-engage one of the main components of the pro-independence movement, the FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front).
The independence flag at the FLNKS press conference in Noumea. Photo: AFP / Delphine Mayeur
The FLNKS, in August 2025, rejected the latest outcomes of political talks in Bougival (near Paris), which envisaged granting New Caledonia the status of "State" within the French realm, a dual "New Caledonian nationality" and the transfer of some key powers (such as foreign affairs) from Paris to Nouméa.
All of the other parties (both pro-France and pro-independence) agreed to commit to the Bougival text.
In the modified (and endorsed) version of the text to postpone the key provincial elections. However, all mentions of the Bougival agreement were removed by the French Parliament.
This was described as a way of "giving more time" for talks in New Caledonia to be both conclusive and inclusive, not rejecting any component of the political chessboard.
"We can't do without the FLNKS. As long as the FLNKS does not want to do without the other (parties)", Moutchou told Parliament last week.
The provincial elections in New Caledonia are crucial in the sense that they determine New Caledonia's political structure with a trickle-down effect from members of the three provincial assemblies [North, South and the Loyalty Islands] and, proportionally, the make-up of the local Parliament (the Congress) and then, also proportionally to the makeup of the Congress, the local "collegial" government of the French Pacific territory.
Under the same proportional spirit, a President is elected and portfolios are then allocated.
Moutchou's visit postponement has further left many local politicians doubtful and perplexed.
No date has been provided as yet as to when her trip will be rescheduled.
In a brief release at the weekend, her office explained this was due to "deadlines" regarding "major budget" issues scheduled to take place this week in the French Parliament, part of which focuses on the 2026 Appropriation Bill for French Overseas territories.
One of the key sensitive issues for French Overseas Territories was a controversial plan (introduced about forty years ago) to significantly review a tax-free scheme initially designed to encourage mainland French investment projects in any French Overseas department.
Specifically on New Caledonia, local politicians, during video conferences held last week, also reminded Moutchou that the tax-free Overseas territories' investment scheme is also regarded as one of the recommended measures to help economic recovery.
But this could be seriously questioned in the next budget, triggering immediate protests from French Overseas elected MPs in the French Parliament (a total of 27 representatives for all of France's overseas territories, including the French Pacific).
Since he appointed his cabinet in October 2025, Lecornu has already faced and survived two motions of no confidence and is still facing "at any moment" threats to be demoted, due to paper-thing majorities and shifting alliances between the four major groups from the far-left, the centre-left, the centre-right and the far-right.
"The Prime Minister (Sébastien Lecornu) has asked the Minister for Overseas to postpone her visit to New Caledonia for a few days", Moutchou's office stated.
"This will allow the Minister to contribute to the finalisation of a demanding and balanced budget trajectory for the Overseas, in keeping with the (French) government's commitments while adapted to the realities of each territory".
"New Caledonia was profoundly affected by the violence of May 2024 and remains at the heart of this national mobilisation".
Since he was elected Prime Minister in early September, Lecornu has stressed several times that, even at the national level, New Caledonia's pressing political issues were to be considered a matter of priority, in a post-May 2024 riot atmosphere which left 14 dead, hundreds of businesses destroyed, thousands of jobless, damage estimated to be in excess of €2 billion and a drastic drop of its GDP to the tune of -13.5 percent.
Since the riots, the French government committed increased financial assistance to restore the ailing economy, including one billion Euros in the form of a loan.
Controversial loan
But a growing portion of local parties is opposed to the notion of loan and wants, instead, this to be converted into a non-refundable grant.
France, on its side, is asking for more reforms from the local government.
"This is essential for our public finances, because when (France) lends us one billion Euros, in fact we'll have to repay 1.7 billion. New Caledonia just can't bear that", pro-France politician Nicolas Metzdorf told public broadcaster NC la 1ère on Sunday.
"But first, there will have to be a political agreement between New Caledonian politicians".
Reacting to the last-minute postponement of Moutchou's visit, he said this was "quite normal" given the national circumstances.
He said he was "confident" the tax-free investment scheme for overseas will eventually be preserved.
Even though all references to the Bougival agreement project were removed from the final text to postpone New Caledonia's local elections to June 2026, if talks do resume, any future outcome, in the form of a "consensual" solution, could either be based on the same "agreement project", or result from talks from scratch.
"So we'll have to see whether we can find a way forward with FLNKS (...) If they come back to the table to discuss, let's discuss", Metzdorf commented on Sunday.
"But we'll not start all over (negotiations). Bougival is the most advanced negotiation we've had until now. We just can't wipe that out, we have to take it from there", he said, adding the text can be further amended and rectified.
Key minister resigns
Meanwhile, on New Caledonia's political ground, one of the key ministers in the local government announced his resignation and withdrawal from politics on Friday.
Thierry Santa was in charge of the highly sensitive portfolios of budget and finance.
Over a political career of about ten years, he was also a former President of the local government and before that Congress Speaker (2015-2018).
He said his departure was motivated by personal reasons and that he already intended to resign at the end of the previous government, early 2025, under a pro-independence president.
But when asked by the incoming executive, he said he reluctantly accepted.
But the current government's mandate, under an election schedule that has now been modified, should have ended in November 2025.
"This was my deadline from the onset because this is when provincial elections should have been held", Santa told journalists during a media conference on Friday.
He denied any differences with New Caledonia's new President, Alcide Ponga, who happens to be pro-France and of indigenous Kanak ethnicity).
Going to the nickel sector
"No I'm not sick, I'm not leaving for Tahiti (where his family originates), I get on very well with Alcide Ponga... it's really all about wanting to return to professional 'civilian' life", he said.
Santa, who belonged to Rassemblement-LR, the party headed by Ponga, is set to take up the position of CEO of the Southern Province's financial arm holding its shares in the province's nickel mine (SPMSC, Société de participation minière du Sud calédonien).
Santa is replaced by his next co-list, Naïa Wateou (from Les Loyalistes [pro-France] party).
But the list of portfolios will now have to be re-allotted and finance will not necessarily go to Wateou.
This is to be clarified at the next government meeting, on Wednesday 5 November 2025, local media report.
In the eleven-member cabinet, Wateou's arrival now brings to two the number of female members/ministers.
