Macron suspends voting reform in New Caledonia that had sparked violence

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has suspended plans for the controversial voting reforms in New Caledonia following a spate of unrest in the French Pacific territory. The reforms would have altered voting rights and Indigenous Kanaks fear they would have marginalize them further. The issue has caused the worst violence on the archipelago in decades. The deadly unrest began mid-May and included clashes, shootings, looting, and arson. Macron says he has decided to suspend the “constitutional bill regarding” New Caledonia. He stressed that there can be no “ambiguity during this period.” Macron says the suspension will give “full strength to dialogue on the ground and the return to order.”