The Assembly of French Polynesia (, ; Tahitian: ''Te apoʻoraʻa rahi o te fenua Māʻohi'') is the

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

, an overseas country of the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is located at Place Tarahoi in

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

. It was established in its current form in 1996 although a Tahitian Assembly was first created in 1824. It consists of 57 members who are elected by popular vote for five years; the electoral system is based upon

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

in six multi-seat

constituencies An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

. Every constituency is represented by at least three representatives. Since 2001, the parity bill binds that the number of women matches the number of men elected to the assembly. The official language of the Assembly is French.Le tahitien reste interdit à l'assemblée de Polynésie
RFO, 06/10/2010. The most recent election was held in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

and resulted in the victory of Tāvini Huiraʻatira, which won 38 seats. Aside from passing legislation and scrutinising the government, the Assembly is responsible for electing the

President of French Polynesia The president of French Polynesia (; ) is the head of government of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The office was first created in 1984. Moetai Brotherson has held the office since 2023. List of pre ...

for a four-year term. The number of seats was changed from 49 to 57 on 23 May 2004, for the 2004 election. On 13 February 2005,

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

s for the Assembly were held in the constituency of the

Windward Islands The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...

(''circonscription des Îles du Vent''). The next general election is scheduled in 2028.

Constituencies

The six electoral districts (''circonscriptions électorales'') are: * electoral circumscription of the

(''circonscription des Îles du Vent'') (37 members) * electoral circumscription of the

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

(''circonscription des Îles Sous-le-Vent'') (8 members) * electoral circumscription of the

Austral Islands The Austral Islands ( officially ''Archipel des Australes;'' ) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France, overseas country of the France, French Republic in the Oceania, South Pacific. Geographicall ...

(''circonscription des Îles Australes'') (3 members) * electoral circumscription of the Gambier Islands and the Islands Tuamotu-East (''circonscription des Îles Gambier et Tuamotu Est'') (3 members) * electoral circumscription of the Islands Tuamotu-West (''circonscription des Îles Tuamotu Ouest'') (3 members) * electoral circumscription of the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

(''circonscription des Îles Marquises'') (3 members)

President of the Assembly of French Polynesia

L’Assemblée représentative (1946–1953)

L’Assemblée territoriale (1953–1996)

L'Assemblée de la Polynésie française (After 1996)

Elections

References

External links

Official website of the Assembly of French Polynesia

Website of the Polynesian Presidency

Territorial legislative framework of French Polynesia

Polynesia Prefecture portal
{{National unicameral legislatures Politics of French Polynesia Political organizations based in French Polynesia Government of French Polynesia

Legislatures of Overseas France