•Socialist Kanak National Liberation Front (FLNKS) of south pacific French territory of New Caledonia called French President Emmanuel Macron to abandon the plan to modify electoral reform.
•Widespread protests and riots erupted in New Caledonia in response to French parliament’s decision to amend the voters’ list.
•The new amendment bill will pave the way for incorporating citizens who were either born or lived in the territory for at least 10 years.
•Kanaks, the indigenous community of the territory, opposed this on claims that it diluted their electoral power thus marginalising them.
•The Kanaks comprise 43% of the 1,45,000 population, while the European (French loyalists), Wallisians and Futunians comprise 37%.
•Kanaks were the original inhabitants of New Caledonia on which France gained control in 1853. Increased migration from France in 1960s turned the Kanaks into a minority in New Caledonia.