France prmier calls for debate on New Caledonia constitutional plan

France's prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, on Wednesday called for a parliamentary debate on a proposed constitutional revision on New Caledonia, saying the government remains open to all stakeholders, including signatories of the Bougival Agreement.

"Ahead of the debate in the National Assembly, I wanted to gather at Matignon certain signatories of the Bougival Agreement -- both pro-independence and non-independence -- who were present in Paris. The government's door remains open to all actors who wish to participate and request it," Lecornu said on the US social media platform X.

He said "respecting the word given" requires submitting the agreement to parliament, adding that positions supporting, amending or rejecting the text are "obviously respectable."

Lecornu warned that a motion of immediate rejection would prevent any examination of the proposal, calling it "a form of 'motion of contempt' for the signatories of this Agreement."

"The debate must be open, for democracy, for the people of New Caledonia, and for the general interest," he said.

The constitutional revision, backed by President Emmanuel Macron, faces strong opposition in the National Assembly, particularly from the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, the Communist group and the far-right National Rally (RN), which support a motion of prior rejection.

New Caledonia, a French territory in the Pacific, has held a series of self-determination referendums in recent years on whether to remain part of France or move toward independence. The Bougival Agreement is intended to define a new political and institutional framework following those votes.

The proposal aims to enshrine that framework in the Constitution after years of negotiations on the territory's future.

The process has been marked by tensions, including unrest in 2024, and political divisions persist locally, notably within the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, which disputes the compromise reached.