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All 57 seats in the Assembly of French Polynesia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early legislative elections were held in French Polynesia in early 2008. The first round was held on 27 January, with the second round on 10 February. [1] The early elections was the first one to be conducted under a reformed electoral system.
In July 2007, Former French Polynesian President Gaston Tong Sang was heavily criticized by Gaston Flosse, former president and the founder of Tong Sang's party, Tahoeraa Huiraatira. Flosse accused Tong Sang of caving in too easily to the demands of some of French Polynesia's minor coalition parties and ignoring the needs of Tahoeraa Huiraatira. [2] Critics of Flosse asserted that the attack was merely a move by Flosse to regain the presidency, an accusation bolstered by revelations that Flosse had "secret talks" with Oscar Temaru, former president and a leading pro-independence politician who has been Flosse's long time political opponent in the past. [2] According to reports, the talks were aimed at ousting Sang from office and setting up a unity platform between Flosse and Temaru's respective political parties. [2]
On 29 August 2007, a no confidence motion was introduced by Temaru's Union for Democracy (UPLD). [2] The UPLD said that the no confidence motion against Tong Sang was based on the fact that he had only small support in the Assembly, thus losing his legitimacy to govern. Tong Sang's own Tahoeraa Huiraatira party asked him to resign ahead of the vote of no confidence against him. [2] Tong Sang refused the calls from his party to step down.
Tong Sang's government fell after the vote of no confidence was passed by French Polynesia's 57 member Assembly on August 31. The motion Sang was passed by a majority 35 members of the Assembly, including some members of the governing Tahoera'a Huiraatira party. [3] Tong Sang tried to save his government by offering Tahoer'a Huiraatira 7 ministerial posts. The deal was refused. [3]
The motion against Tong Sang was the first time that Oscar Temaru's Union for Democracy and Gaston Flosse's Tahoera'a Huiraatira party formed a de facto alliance to oust a sitting French Polynesian government. [4]
After his ousting from government, Gaston Tong Sang left Tahoera'a Huiraatira and founded a new party, O Porinetia To Tatou Ai'a. [5] The new party, from the onset, had 6 members in the Assembly, all former members of Tahoera'a Huiraatira.
After Tong Sang's ouster, which was the third time a French Polynesian government was ousted from power via motions of no confidence since 2004, calls for electoral reform were heard. This culminated in an electoral reform package that was passed by France in November of the same year.
After elections were announced, President of French Polynesia Oscar Temaru stated that he would prefer to have elections after the French municipal elections in March 2008. [6]
The new system, approved in France on 26 November 2007, was meant to stabilise the chaotic French Polynesian political scene. [7] [8] [9] Under the new system, a two-round election system was promulgated, [10] and candidates from any political party require at least 12.5% of the vote to enter the second round of voting, and a general electoral threshold of 5% was set. [11]
| Party | First round | Second round | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| To Tatou Ai'a [lower-alpha 1] | 41,061 | 32.69 | 55,257 | 42.84 | 23 | |
| Union for Democracy [lower-alpha 2] | 40,050 | 31.89 | 47,811 | 37.07 | 19 | |
| Tahoera'a Huiraatira | 27,403 | 21.82 | 21,965 | 17.03 | 10 | |
| No Oe E Te Nunaa | 6,612 | 5.26 | 0 | |||
| Te Henua Enata a Tu | 2,772 | 2.21 | 2 | |||
| Te Niu Hau Manahune | 2,035 | 1.62 | 2,502 | 1.94 | 2 | |
| Tapura Amui no Tuhaa Pae | 1,183 | 0.94 | 1,448 | 1.12 | 1 | |
| Te Avei'a | 1,101 | 0.88 | 0 | |||
| Porinetia Ora | 1,099 | 0.87 | 0 | |||
| Te Henua Enana Kotoa | 497 | 0.40 | 0 | |||
| Here Ai'a Te Nunaa Ia Ora | 487 | 0.39 | 0 | |||
| Tapura Amui No Raromatai | 312 | 0.25 | 0 | |||
| Te E'a No Te Autaea'era'a | 288 | 0.23 | 0 | |||
| Hau Pakumotu | 221 | 0.18 | 0 | |||
| A Tia I Nia Tamaarii Tuhaa Pae | 203 | 0.16 | 0 | |||
| Te Ao Hou No Oe | 171 | 0.14 | 0 | |||
| Heikura | 63 | 0.05 | 0 | |||
| Te Ati O Te Henua Enana | 44 | 0.04 | 0 | |||
| Total | 125,602 | 100.00 | 128,983 | 100.00 | 57 | |
| Valid votes | 125,602 | 99.00 | 128,983 | 99.05 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 1,265 | 1.00 | 1,241 | 0.95 | ||
| Total votes | 126,867 | 100.00 | 130,224 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 176,751 | 71.78 | 170,211 | 76.51 | ||
| Source: Haut Commissariat | ||||||
According to reports, the two pro-autonomy/anti-independence factions were likely to agree to form the government for the next five years, but coalition talks broke down on 20 February 2008. [12] The President of the Assembly was decided to be elected on 22 February 2008, with presidential elections in the Assembly to follow on 24 February 2008. [13]
In the election for the President of the Assembly, the incumbent Edouard Fritch was reelected with 36 votes while the pro-independence candidate Antony Géros received 21 votes; one of the 37 pro-autonomy MPs had therefore evidently voted for Géros. [14]
Oscar Manutahi Temaru is a French politician. He has been President of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France, on five occasions: in 2004, from 2005 to 2006, from 2007 to 2008, in 2009, and from 2011 to 2013 and mayor of Faa'a since 1983.
Gaston Flosse is a French politician who has been President of French Polynesia on five separate occasions. He is currently a member of the Senate of France and has been a French junior minister under Jacques Chirac. He received sentences for corruption, which are under appeal.
French Polynesia elects the Assembly of French Polynesia, the unicameral legislature on the territorial level. The Assembly of French Polynesia has 57 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies. French Polynesia has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party.
The Fetia Api or Nouvelle Étoile was a centre-right political party in French Polynesia from 1996 to 2016, advocating for the autonomy of French Polynesia. The party was led by Boris Léontieff, former mayor of Arue since 1989, and then subsequently led by Philip Schyle after 2002.
Tāvini Huiraʻatira, also known as Tāvini huiraʻatira nō te ao māʻohi – FLP, is a pro-independence political party in French Polynesia. Founded in 1977 as the Front de libération de la Polynésie (FLP), the party has been led since its inception by Oscar Temaru. From 2004 to 2013 it was part of the Union for Democracy (UPLD) coalition.
Amuitahiraʻa o te Nunaʻa Maohi, known as Tāhōʻēraʻa Huiraʻatira until January 2022, is a political party in French Polynesia. The party is conservative, pro-autonomy party and anti-independence. It was founded in 1977 by Gaston Flosse, who supports French Polynesia's current autonomy arrangement with France and who led it for over 20 years.
Gaston Tong Sang is a French Polynesian politician and is the former President of French Polynesia. He served terms as President of French Polynesia from November 2009 until April 2011, from April 2008 until February 2009 and from December 2006 until September 2007; he is currently the Mayor of Bora-Bora. He is of Chinese descent, and is a founding member of French Polynesia's pro-French Tahoera'a Huiraatira political party.
Winfred Édouard Tereori Fritch is a French Polynesian politician who served as President of French Polynesia from 2014 to 2023. He previously presided over the Assembly of French Polynesia on three occasions: from April 2007 to February 2008, from February 2009 to April 2009 and from May 2013 to September 2014. Until 2015, Fritch was co-president of Tahoera'a Huiraatira, a pro-French political party, before he became president of the newly-established Tapura Huiraatira.
An indirect presidential election was held in French Polynesia on 11 February 2009, after defections from the ruling pro-autonomy faction and a scheduled constructive vote of no confidence planned for 12 February 2009 caused the incumbent Gaston Tong Sang to step down on 7 February 2009.
An indirect presidential election was held in French Polynesia on Tuesday 24 November 2009, after the opposition, led by Gaston Tong Sang, won a vote of no confidence against the government of incumbent French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru.
Nuihau Laurey is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. He was vice-president of French Polynesia from 2014–2017 and one of the two senators for French Polynesia from 2015 to 2020. He was acting president of French Polynesia in 2014 between Gaston Flosse and Édouard Fritch's presidencies.
Tapura Huiraatira is a political party in French Polynesia. It was founded on 20 February 2016 by members of Tahoera'a Huiraatira, a parliamentary coalition in the Assembly of French Polynesia. It is chaired by Édouard Fritch, the President of French Polynesia. Its first congress was attended by 8,000 people, including 38 Polynesian mayors. Nicole Sanquer was the party's only Member of Parliament before she left to join A here ia Porinetia.
Teva Rohfritsch is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. Since 2020 he has been one of French Polynesia's two senators in the French Senate, sitting with the Rally of Democrats, Progressives and Independents.
Antony Daniel Teva Géros is a French Polynesian politician and current President of the Assembly of French Polynesia. He has previously served as a Cabinet Minister, and three times as vice-president of French Polynesia. Since 2020 he has served as Mayor of Paea. He is a member of pro-independence party Tavini Huiraatira.
A Tia Porinetia was a political party in French Polynesia. The party was founded in February 2013 by Teva Rohfritsch and members of To Tatou Aia and other small parties. The party was autonomist, and opposed the inclusion of French Polynesia on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories.
Frédéric Riveta is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of Tapura Huiraatira.
Thomas Moutame is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. He has served as Mayor of Taputapuatea since 1997. He is a member of Tapura Huiraatira.
Pierre Frébault is a French Polynesian civil servant, politician, and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of Tavini Huiraatira.
Porinetia Ora was an autonomist political party in French Polynesia. The party was created on 1 December 2004 by former Tahoera'a Huiraatira Minister Reynald Temarii. He was replaced as party president in 2006 by Teiva Manutahi.
Émile André Vernaudon is a former French Polynesian politician and Cabinet Minister. The leader of the Aia Api party, he served as President of the Assembly of French Polynesia twice, first from 1981 to 1983, and the second time from 1991 to 1992. He served as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in the Cabinet of Oscar Temaru. He represented French Polynesia's 2nd constituency in the French National Assembly twice, from 1988 to 1993, and again from 1997 to 2002. From 1977 to 2008 he served as Mayor of Mahina.
