She will be Secretary of State for Citizenship
The French Pacific now has one of its own in the French government. Sonia Backès, president of the richest of New Caledonia’s three provinces, has been appointed to Elisabeth Borne’s government. She will hold the post of Secretary of State for Citizenship. In the ministerial hierarchy, a Secretary of State is placed under the authority of a minister. They do not attend the Council of Ministers.
A reward and a symbol
This appointment is a reward for the leader of the non-independents in Caledonia. Her party has just obtained two deputies in the National Assembly during last month’s elections. The appointment is probably also a way for the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to affirm his commitment to the Pacific and the Indo-Pacific axis conceived in reaction to China. Sonia Backès, 46, said she would not resign as president of the South Province.
