In 1998, France signed the Noumea Accord with New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the Pacific, following separatist violence in the 1980s. This Accord granted increased power to the indigenous Kanak population, froze the electoral rolls to only include residents at the time and their descendants, and required three independence referendums, which were held in 2018, 2020, and 2021. Support for independence rose from 43.33% in the first vote to 46.47% in the second. The main pro-independence party boycotted the 2021 referendum, leading to only 3.5% of votes backing independence. France now views its obligations under the accord as fulfilled, while independence activists disagree.
In May 2024, violent protests erupted over a proposed electoral reform that would see a greater dilution of power for the Kanak by opening the electoral roll to any resident who had lived in New Caledonia for 10 years. France has now suspended this reform.