Local elections across France’s overseas territories have delivered a series of striking results, reshaping political balances from the Pacific to the Caribbean. From a breakthrough for the left in Reunion Island to a symbolic defeat for a regional heavyweight in Guadeloupe, voters have sent a clear – and sometimes surprising – message.
In French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, the local elections once again highlighted the territory’s central political fault line: independence. In and around the capital Nouméa, where most of the population lives, anti-independence candidates consolidated their hold.
