Heavy security has been deployed in New Caledonia as crucial provincial elections are being held in the French Pacific territory today.

Polling stations are open from 8am local time (9am NZ time) until 6pm tonight.

This comes as heavy security has been deployed. It involves a total of some 2500 law enforcement officers, mostly policemen and gendarmes (the equivalent of 16 squadrons, as opposed to 12 in normal circumstances).

Additional officers from the French anti-crime squad and judiciary police are deployed.

The reinforcements are to remain posted at least until early July 2026 or longer, depending on what develops.

The heavy set-up mainly focuses on security and monitoring of polling stations and their immediate surroundings.

Drones and additional armoured vehicles are also deployed on the ground, including the Centaurs — armoured vehicles that were previously used during and after the riots that broke out in New Caledonia in May 2024, causing 14 dead and material damage of about 2.2 billion euros (NZ$.4.4 billion).

The whole security operation is meant to “reassure” the population, as well as show the presence of security forces on the ground and their capacity to intervene quickly if needed.

The French High Commission in New Caledonia said at the weekend the general climate was relatively calm ahead of the vote.

Since last week, a total ban on the sale of alcohol has been in force and will remain until after election day.

This, the High Commission said, was because New Caledonia was still undergoing a “sensitive” period on social and economic grounds.

Latest incident on the Isle of Pines
However, on Friday evening, in the small island town of Vao, on the Isle of Pines (south off the capital Nouméa), police and gendarmes were called about midnight to intervene following a fire on a building near the Town Hall municipal council meeting room, which was to be used as a polling station for today’s elections.

The polling station was relocated to a school canteen in the village of Vao.

Gendarmes later arrested one teenager — part of a group of five — and they were targeted by stone-throwing.

One of the gendarmes had to be medivaced to Nouméa.

Witnesses also said in the small building, which also hosts the local power company Enercal, safes containing cash has been forced open and cash stolen.

Two flags were also stolen.

Public Prosecutor Yves Dupas told local media an investigation was ongoing, but initial findings indicated that the main target of the group was the electrical company’s office and that subsequent damage to the nearby designated polling station could be regarded as collateral.

The perpetrators were also found to be “severely inebriated”.

The latest incident has triggered swift and angry reactions from the Great Chief of the Isle of Pines, as well as from Mayor Régis Vendegou and the government of New Caledonia, which said “nothing can justify” those actions.

No cyber threat so far
Potential attempts of local or foreign cyber interference is also being closely monitored with the assistance of French digital watchdog agency Viginum.

So far no significant threat has been reported of attempts to “discredit the electoral process, jeopardise the confidence of the public in the media or trying to influence the public in favour or against a specific party or candidate”.

Provisional results should start to emerge after polling booths close at 6pm with progressive counting during the evening.

The vote involving some 192,584 registered voters (according to the latest official figures), in 298 polling stations, will determine the 76 members of New Caledonia’s three provinces (22 for the Northern, 40 for the Southern, and 14 for the Loyalty Islands).

On a proportional basis, the three provinces will then be represented and make up the Congress of New Caledonia, consisting of 54 members.

From the new Congress, a new local “collegial” government and its President would then automatically emerge.

New Caledonia’s diaspora votes by proxy
There are 127,474 registered voters in the Southern Province (where the capital Nouméa is located), 43,016 in the Northern province and 22,094 in the Loyalty Islands province.

An estimated 5000 voters (who will be either absent from New Caledonia on polling day or who live in mainland France, Australia, New Zealand or Vanuatu) will also vote by proxy.