There has been a mixed response among New Caledonian leaders to a French vote restricting the eligibility of voters in New Caledonia.
The Congress in Paris approved a constitutional amendment which reduces the electoral roll for the 2009 and 2014 local elections to those voters who were on the 1998 list and have subsequently lived in the French territory for 10 years.
The leader of the pro-independence Caledonian Union party, Pascale Naouna, says the vote has removed a large obstacle to the progress of the Noumea Accord.
He says this enables New Caledonians now to concentrate on other important aspects of the accord such as the transfer of administrative responsibilities from France.
The anti-independence Rassemblement party leader, Pierre Frogier, says he's disappointed but accepts the outcome of the vote.
