A total of 24 electoral lists have been submitted in New Caledonia for next month's provincial election.
That is seven fewer than for the last election five years ago.
10 lists have been submitted in the southern province where the anti-independence camp is dominant and won all seats last time.
The Future Together Party of the territory's president, Harold Martin, has a rival movement now with the Caledonia Together party led by Philippe Gomes, who is in charge of the provincial government.
Pierre Frogier's Rassemblement-UMP and Jacques Lafleur's RPC add to the right's lists.
The pro-independence side is split into three lists which lowers its chance to win seats in the south.
In the northern province and the Loyalty islands province, the pro-independence parties are again expected to do well.
Under provisions of the Noumea Accord, 18,000 French nationals are excluded from the vote because they didn't live in New Caledonia before 1998.
