Anarchy in Kanaky? What the French elections mean for New Caledonia … and Australia

[Extract] There's no doubt that French President Nicolas Sarkozy needs the votes of the far right in the second round run off of the French elections this weekend.\ud \ud In the first round, right wing Front National candidate Marine Le Pen secured 17.9% of the vote; left winger Jean-Luc Melenchon 11.1%. In the run-off this Sunday, the stakes have never been higher for Sarkozy.\ud \ud But in a far-flung former colony in the Pacific, the stakes are just as high, if not higher. The French territory of New Caledonia is scheduled to undertake an act of self determination between 2014 and 2019 – under the Noumea Accords of 1998