Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 7, 1 July 2004 — French Polynesia elects a pro-independence president [ARTICLE]

French Polynesia elects a pro-independence president

Long-time independence advocate Oscar Temaru was narrowly elected president of French Polynesia in June, marking a significant change in leadership over a territory that has been under French control for over half a century. Temaru received 30 of the possible 57 votes from the territory's assembly to replace former president Gaston Flosse, who served as French Polynesia's leader for nearly 20 years and was a close ally of French president Jacques Chirac. The change eame following elections for the assembly on May 23, in whieh a coalition of parties opposed to Flosse, calling itself the Union Pour La Dēmocratie, was able to secure 29 seats and later added another, when a member from Flosse's politieal party joined the new majority. Although independents and autonomists now form the majority in the assembly, Temaru has said that he will not lead the French Polynesia to immediate independence, but will instead work towards bettering the territory within the framework of the current political status. French Polynesia is made up of 118 islands and atolls, including Tahiti in the Society Islands, the Marquesas Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The population of the territory is 266,000, 78 percent of whom are Polynesian. ■