Second round of New Caledonian municipal elections

Noumea: New Caledonia has held the second round of the municipal elections deferred from March because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Voters elected the remaining 22 mayors and councils in communes where no candidate had secured an absolute majority in the first round.

Among those re-elected yesterday is the president of the Northern Province Paul Neaoutyine who was returned as the mayor of Poindimie for a sixth term.

The leader of the newly formed Generations NC party Nicolas Metzdorf became the youngest mayor at 32 years, winning in La Foa.

Territory-wide the once dominant Caledonia Together party saw declining support while proindependence parties increased their presence in the Southern Province.