Les Loyalistes Explained
Les Loyalistes (The Loyalists) is a coalition of anti-independence centrist and right-wing political parties in New Caledonia. The Loyalist coalition is led by Sonia Backès.[1] The parties involved are the Caledonian Republicans, 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").[2] In December 2021, in the following referendum, they took the name "Les Voix du Non".[3]
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.[4]
In 2022, Sonia Backès, Naïa Wateou, Christopher Gygès, and Willy Gatuhau signed a column on behalf of the Caledonian Republicans, calling for them to not be forced to be supporters of Emmanuel Macron. 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. [...]".[5]
The MPC does not join the June 2022 legislative elections that were initiated by the Caledonian Republicans, Générations NC, and Caledonia Together, stating that they want a "broader union", including "all loyalist personalities".[6] Emmanuel Macron lost his majority in France's lower-house National Assembly.[7]
On 15 April 2024, during the unrest, The Loyalists and Le Rassemblement staged competing marches in Nouméa 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 (Les Républicains) has argued for a partition of New Caledonia, with one electoral roll per province.[8]
References
- News: Roger . Patrick . 2020-09-25 . Sonia Backès, sur le statut de la Nouvelle-Calédonie : « Le choix de rester français, c’est la décision de continuer de vivre tous ensemble, en paix » . Sonia Backès, on the status of New Caledonia: "The choice to remain French is the decision to continue to live together, in peace" . limited . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20221011125500/https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2020/09/25/sonia-backes-sur-le-statut-de-la-nouvelle-caledonie-le-choix-de-rester-francais-c-est-la-decision-de-continuer-de-vivre-tous-ensemble-en-paix_6053546_823448.html . 11 October 2022 . 2024-05-19 . Le Monde . fr.
- Web site: Braouet . Isabelle . 2020-07-08 . Référendum : les « Loyalistes » lancent leur campagne pour le « non » . Referendum: the "Loyalists" launch their "no" campaign . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20230725032127/https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/referendum-loyalistes-lancent-leur-campagne-non-851458.html . 25 July 2023 . 2024-05-19 . France Info . fr-FR.
- Web site: Lassauce . Bernard . Corsi . Laurent . 2021-08-21 . Référendum 2021: la campagne pour le Non lancée à Téné . Referendum 2021: the No campaign launched in Téné . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20230725032122/https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/province-sud/bourail/la-campagne-pour-le-non-lancee-a-tene-1084135.html . 25 July 2023 . 2024-05-19 . France Info . fr-FR.
- Web site: Cochin . Coralie . Mestre . Charlotte . 2022-04-13 . Interview by Gil Brial and Virginie Ruffenach . Les "Loyalistes" créent un groupe au Congrès sans le Rassemblement . "Loyalists" create a group in Congress without the Rally . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20230829070551/https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/les-loyalistes-cree-un-groupe-au-congres-sans-le-rassemblement-1272428.html . 29 August 2023 . 2024-05-19 . France Info . fr-FR.
- Web site: 2022-04-29 . Tribune pour l'Union des Républicains calédoniens : "L'intelligence collective doit prendre l'ascendant sur les ambitions personnelles" . Tribune for the Union of Caledonian Republicans: "Collective intelligence must take precedence over personal ambitions" . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20220508015529/https://www.lnc.nc/article-direct/politique/nouvelle-caledonie/tribune-pour-l-union-des-republicains-caledoniens-l-intelligence-collective-doit-prendre-l-ascendant-sur-les-ambitions-personnelles . 8 May 2022 . 2024-05-19 . Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes . fr-FR.
- Web site: 2022-05-02 . Le Mouvement populaire calédonien veut une "union plus large" des loyalistes contre l’indépendance . 2024-05-19 . Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes . fr-FR.
- Web site: Mcnicoll . Tracy . 2022-06-19 . Macron’s bloc falls short of absolute majority, leftist coalition second, large gains for far right . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20240501135701/https://www.france24.com/en/france/20220619-live-france-votes-in-parliamentary-election-second-round . 1 May 2024 . 2024-05-19 . France 24 . en.
- News: Décodeurs . Les . 2024-05-17 . New Caledonia: Six questions to understand the current crisis . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20240518064343/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/05/17/new-caledonia-six-questions-to-understand-the-current-crisis_6671770_8.html . 18 May 2024 . 2024-05-19 . Le Monde . en.
