Politics of Wallis and Futuna takes place in a framework of a parliamentary

representative democratic Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

French overseas collectivity, whereby the President of the Territorial Assembly is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.

Overview

The territory of Wallis and Futuna is divided into three traditional chiefdoms ('' royaumes coutumiers''): Uvea, on the island of Wallis, Sigave, on the western part of the island of Futuna, and

Alo Alo or ALO may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Alo'' (film), a 2003 Bengali drama * Alo Creevey, a fictional character in TV series ''Skins'' ** "Alo" (''Skins series 5'') ** "Alo" (''Skins series 6'') * Animal Liberation Orchestra, ...

, on the eastern part of the island of Futuna and the island of Alofi. Uvea is further subdivided into three districts: Hihifo,

Hahake Hakake ( Uvean for "East") is one of the 5 districts of Wallis and Futuna, located in Wallis Island, in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Chiefdom of Uvea. Geography Located in the middle of the island, Hahake borders with the districts of Hih ...

and

Mu'a Mua may refer to: *Mu'a (Tongatapu), the ancient capital of Tonga *Mu'a, a village on Niuafoou, Tonga *Mu'a, a village on Eua, Tonga, founded by people from Niuafoou *Mua District Mua (also spelled Mu'a, Uvean for "first") is one of the 5 dist ...

. The capital of the collectivity is Matâ'Utu on the island of Wallis, the most populated island. As an overseas collectivity of France, it is governed under the French constitution of September 28, 1958, uses both the

French legal system The Law of France refers to the legal system in the French Republic, which is a civil law legal system primarily based on legal codes and statutes, with case law also playing an important role. The most influential of the French legal codes is t ...

and customary local laws (''"coutume"''), and suffrage is universal for those over 18 years of age. The French president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; the high administrator is appointed by the French president on the advice of the

French Ministry of the Interior Minister of the Interior (french: Ministre de l'Intérieur; ) is a prominent position in the Government of France. The position is equivalent to the interior minister in other countries, like the Home Secretary in the United Kingdom, the Minis ...

; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly.

Executive branch

The head of state is President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

of France as represented by Administrator Superior

Thierry Queffelec Thierry Queffelec (born 27 August 1962) is a French senior civil servant, former Administrator of Wallis and Futuna, and current Prefect of French Guiana. Biography Thierry Queffelec was born on 27 August 1962 in Thionville, France. He graduated ...

. The head of government is President of the Territorial Assembly Nivaleta Iloai. The Council of the Territory consists of three kings (kings of the three traditional chiefdoms) and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly.

Legislative branch

The legislative branch consists of the unicameral Territorial Assembly or ''

Assemblée territoriale The Territorial Assembly of Wallis and Futuna (French: ''Assemblée Territoriale''; Wallisian and Futunan: ''Fono fakatelituale'') is the legislature of Wallis and Futuna. It consists of 20 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional r ...

'' of 20 seats; the members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

. The next election is scheduled for 20 March 2022. With regard to the legal profession, according to a 2017 source, "there are no private lawyers, notaries, or bailiffs in the territory of Wallis and Futuna."

Political parties and elections

Judicial branch

Justice is generally administered under French law by a tribunal of first instance in Matâ'Utu, but the three traditional chiefdoms administer justice according to

customary law A legal custom is the established pattern of behavior that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting. A claim can be carried out in defense of "what has always been done and accepted by law". Customary law (also, consuetudina ...

(''"coutume"'', only for non criminal cases). The

court of appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

is in Nouméa, New Caledonia.

International relations

Wallis and Futuna participates in the Franc Zone, and is a member of the Pacific Community (SPC).

References

{{Wallis and Futuna topics, state=collapsed