Highlights: Polynesian separatists won 44.2% of the vote against 38.5% for outgoing President Edouard Fritch's list. They thus obtained an absolute majority of 38 of the 57 seats in the Territorial Assembly. MP Moetai Brotherson, who sits in the GDR group in the National Assembly in Paris, is expected to be elected president of the future government. He campaigned on living standards and purchasing power when a large part of the population lives below the poverty line.

The list of former President Oscar Temaru and MP Moetai Brotherson, wins the second round of the territorial elections of the Assembly of Polynesia with 44.2% of the votes, Sunday, April 30, 2023,...

Separatists win territorial elections in French Polynesia

Pro-independence leader and former president of French Polynesia Oscar Temaru celebrates the victory of the pro-independence Tavini party following the second round of territorial elections, at the party's headquarters in Faa'a, April 30, 2023. AFP - SULIANE FAVENNEC

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

The list of former President Oscar Temaru and MP Moetai Brotherson, wins the second round of the territorial elections of the Assembly of Polynesia with 44.2% of the votes, Sunday, April 30, 2023, according to provisional results published by the High Commission.

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The Polynesian separatists won 44.2% of the vote against 38.5% for outgoing President Edouard Fritch's list. They thus obtained an absolute majority of 38 of the 57 seats in the Territorial Assembly and thus had a stable majority to govern the South Pacific community for five years. The Assembly is therefore changing colour in French Polynesia.

MP Moetai Brotherson, who sits in the GDR group in the National Assembly in Paris, is expected to be elected president of the future government. He campaigned on living standards and purchasing power when a large part of the population lives below the poverty line.

He said little about independence. But this victory reshuffles the cards and puts the separatists in a position of strength vis-à-vis the French state to negotiate a process of decolonization and a referendum of self-determination.

Polynesians voted for change. The government takes note of this democratic choice," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter. "We will work with the newly elected majority with commitment and rigor, to continue to improve the daily lives of our Polynesian fellow citizens.

The Tavini huiraatira list wins the territorial elections in French Polynesia and will have to elect the future president of the archipelago. Together with Jean-François Carenco, we congratulate Oscar Temaru and Moetai Brotherson on their victory.

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) May 1, 2023

► Read also: Elections in French Polynesia: "The future of Polynesia within the framework of the Republic is at stake"

The third list, that of former autonomist vice-president Nuihau Laurey, won 17.1% of the vote, according to the count published by the High Commission on its website.

Oscar Temaru's Tavini huiraatira party, which is due to present MP Moetai Brotherson for the presidency of the future government on 10th May, benefited from a large part of the vote carryovers of the parties eliminated in the first round of the election on 16th April, all of which campaigned against the outgoing president. His list came out ahead with 34.9%, against 30.46% for the autonomist list of Edouard Fritch and 14.53% for the other autonomist list of Nuihau Laurey.

Clearly defeated, Edouard Fritch, 71, first paid the price for his government's poor communication during the Covid epidemic. Despite a rather positive economic balance, the high inflation suffered by Polynesia in 2022 (8.5%) was also attributed to it by part of the opinion, because it introduced a new VAT to preserve local social security.

Moetai Brotherson, 51, campaigned on the abolition of this tax and more generally on purchasing power. He spoke little about independence and was able to seduce beyond this electorate, capitalizing on the rejection of Edouard Fritch.

The pro-independence party had already won the three seats of deputies devolved to Polynesia in the legislative elections of June 2022, inflicting on the autonomists the most severe defeat in their history in this election.

Set up in 2013 to put an end to the political instability that has shaken Polynesia since 2004, the voting system grants a strong bonus to the list that comes out ahead which guarantees it three quarters of the seats.

Separatists win territorial elections in French Polynesia

Separatists win territorial elections in French Polynesia

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