First round of French elections marred by violence in New Caledonia

The first round of elections to the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) of France was disrupted at polling stations in the commune of Ouailou in New Caledonia. 

Unknown persons blocked the entrance to the town hall with a car and set it on fire, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The incident occurred on the night of June 30, European time, before the opening of the precincts in the city hall building. In addition to a burning car, unknown persons left a heavy concrete block and tree branches at the entrance. As a result, neither voters nor even the mayor of the commune were able to enter the building, and ballot boxes were also not set up. Voting was disrupted.

The elections in New Caledonia are taking place in a particularly tense atmosphere, as protests in the overseas territory against the electoral reforms initiated by the Government of the Republic have not yet fully subsided. Under the reform, in addition to indigenous peoples, citizens who have lived in New Caledonia for more than 10 years are entitled to vote. Following the May riots, additional police and gendarmerie units had been deployed to the island. They are ensuring the functioning of State institutions and removing road barricades erected by protesters.

According to the TV channel, on the night of June 30, several people tried to break into the gendarme barracks. They stole a 40-ton dump truck on which they tried to ram the gate, after which they set it on fire. In total, more than 100 people took part in the riot. Gendarmerie special forces were sent to the site, but the media reported that no one else was injured and there were no new attempts to invade.

 The first round of elections to the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) takes place in France on June 30. The main struggle for the 577 mandates of the National Assembly is between the right-wing "National Union", which polls predict a relative majority in the new convocation (36 per cent), and the left-wing "New Popular Front". It claims about 30 per cent of the mandates. The centrist coalition "Together for the Republic", which includes the presidential party "Renaissance", could become the third largest faction with about 20 per cent of the votes, seriously losing ground to the right and left opposition.