French Polynesia’s President Édouard Fritch has warned of “chaos”, should his party lose power to the pro-independence Tavini Huira’atira.

In last Sunday’s first round of the territorial elections, his Tapura Huira’atira came second, winning 30 percent of the votes against Tavini’s 35 percent.

Fritch’s Tapura has now joined forces with the opposition Amuitahiraa to have a joint list of candidates in next week’s run-off round.

Amuitahiraa failed to get enough support to qualify for the run-off but with the list merger, four of its candidates are allowed to stand again.

Fritch said French Polynesia is now in a “state of emergency” and could not be allowed to go towards independence.

The Amuitahiraa leader, Gaston Flosse, who runs the party despite being ineligible because of corruption convictions, has been campaigning for French Polynesia to become a sovereign state in association with France.

In the last elections in 2018, the Tapura won two thirds of all seats.

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Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

French Polynesia’s Amuitahiraa Party has registered its three candidates for the French National Assembly elections next month — just hours before the nomination deadline.

The three are Pascale Haiti, Jonathan Tariha’a and Sylviane Terooatea.

Haiti, a former member of the French Polynesian Assembly, is the partner of party founder and leader Gaston Flosse, who is banned from public office until 2027.

If elected, the Amuitahiraa politicians say they will work towards developing the territory’s autonomy statute to make French Polynesia a sovereign state associated with France.

The 90-year-old Flosse was president of French Polynesia five times and was a French government minister under President Jacques Chirac.

Two of the three French Polynesian seats in the French National Assembly are held by the ruling Tapura Huiraatira Party, and the third by a pro-independence party.

Pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira party’s Moetai Brotherson is seeking re-election.

Wallis and Futuna nominations
Meanwhile, nominations opened in Wallis and Futuna on Monday for the election of the territory’s only member of the French National Assembly.

Candidates can register until Friday for the elections.

The territory’s seat has been held by Sylvain Brial since 2018 when he won a byelection after successfully challenging the 2017 electoral victory of Napole Polutele.

In Kanaky New Caledonia, nominations are still open this week, with candidates of the pro-independence camp yet to be announced.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz