France, June 29 -- The poll - the first provincial election since 2019 - took place peacefully under tight security, more than two years after deadly unrest shook the archipelago. Turnout stood at 63.71 percent, down from 66.50 percent in the previous election, according to local authorities.

In the Southern Province, which includes the capital Noumea, a joint list formed by the two main non-independence parties - Les Loyalistes and Le Rassemblement - won around 50 percent of the vote, according to provisional results.

The bloc was projected to secure 24 of the 54 seats in New Caledonia's Congress, up from 19, making it the largest grouping but leaving it short of the 28 seats needed for an absolute majority.

Pro-independence parties w...