Personality battle

Trong Vote For

Utonomy In

[?]Ench Polynesia

Elections in French Polynesia

September 10 for a new

rritorial Assembly (parlia

nt) have given the lie to the nmonly held notion that

liti is such an earthly paradise

t nobody wants any change.

yO parties which campaigned vigorously for internal self ;rnment gained 16 of the 30 seats he Assembly, and six other seats t to independent candidates, some whom will probably side with i. he two most successful parties ; Te E’a Api no Polynesia ighly, the New Ways Party of nesia), which is headed by Mr. icis Sanford; and the Pupu Here (Patriots’ Party), of which Mr. i Teariki is the leader. r. Sanford, whose American dfather settled in Tahiti years is French Polynesia’s present tentative in the French Chamber deputies. r. Teariki, a chief of Moorea, ti’s sister island, was the deputy Mr. Sanford defeated him by ndful of votes out of the 27,000 in elections held on March 19 d, May, p. 32).

Personality battle

ie March election was a battle ersonalities, as the platforms of ;wo men were virtually identical. same can be said about the mbly election just held. :sides campaigning for internal government, both the Sanford Teariki parties advocated a r deal for the large Polynesian ent of the population, r. Teariki’s party also urged the )lete cessation of the nuclear ig programme at Mururoa Atoll, stated that it was a matter for regret that the previous mbly had ceded Mururoa to ce. one stage during the election )aign, Mr. Sanford, asked the nc h Prime Minister, Mr. pidou, if a referendum on the government issue could be com -1 with the election. However, Prime Minister replied that self-

government would be a matter for the incoming Assembly to discuss.

For the purpose of Assembly elec tions, French Polynesia is divided into five electorates: lies du Vent (Windward Islands), lies sous le Vent (Leeward Islands), Tuamotu- Gambier Islands, Marquesas, and Austral Islands.

The lies du Vent, which comprise Tahiti, neighbouring Moorea, the now-exhausted phosphate island of Makatea, and the small island of Maiao, elect 16 candidates.

The lies sous le Vent, comprising Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa and other islands in the leeward of the Society Group, elect six.

Of the remaining eight seats, four go to the Tuamotu-Gambiers, and two each to the Marquesas and Australs.

Pro-French

No less than 33 political parties, or groupings, contested the election— -18 of them vying for the favour of electors in the lies du Vent.

Of the 36,897 voters on the rolls, 24,858 (or about 67 per cent.) voted.

The results of the election were: Te E’a Api no Polynesia (nine seats), Pupu Here A’a (seven), UT-UNR (five). Union Tahitienne Democratique (three) and indepen dents (six).

The UT-UNR, which is a com bination of the Union Tahitienne and the Union pour la Nouvelle Republique, is led by Rudy Bam

bridge. It is emphatically in favour of maintaining strong links between French Polynesia and France.

So is the Union Tahitienne Democratique (UTD), which is led by Mr. Alfred Poroi, French Poly nesia’s representative in the French Senate since 1962 and Mayor of Papeete for 24 years until his defeat in October last year.

The six independents, on the other hand, seem to be pro-Polynesian rather than pro-French. So the next year or two will probably see some important changes in the con stitutional framework of French Polynesia—if the more radical mem bers coalesce solidly against the conservatives.

A notable feature of the election was the eclipse of a number of well known figures on the Tahiti political scene who were regarded as virtually irremovable from the Assembly.

Old identities go

They include J. B. Ceran- Jerusalemy, Charles Lehartel, Jacques Tauraa (president of the outgoing

Assembly), Gerald Coppenrath, Rose

Raoulx and Celine Oopa.

Twenty of the successful can didates were not members of the old Assembly, The newcomers include Mr. Sanford.

The total votes polled by the four major parties were: Te E’a Api no Polynesia, 5,027; Pupu Here Ai’a,

4,161; Ut-Unr, 2,390; Utd, 1,699.

Mr. Teariki’s party was the only one to put up candidates in all electorates. Mr. Sanford’s contested all but the Australs. The other two major parties were each represented in three.

Those elected for the various parties are:

Te E’A Api No Polynesia: Francis

Sanford, Jean Millaud, Anthelme Buillard, Eugene Haereraaroa, Daniel Millaud, Adolphe Agnieray (lies du Vent); Roger Amiot (lies sous le Vent); Guy Rauzy (Marquesas); and Francois Tinomano (Tuamotu-Gambiers).

PUPU HERE AT A: John Teariki, Yannick Amaru, Francois Hordes, Henri Bouvier (lies du Vent); William Tcheng, Adolphe Bohl (lies sous le Vent); Pierre Hunter (Austral Islands).

UT-UNR: Rudy Bambridge, Nedo Salmon, Gaston Flosse (Hes du Vent); Tetuanui Ehu (lies sous le Vent); Henri Marere OR Germain Levy (Tuamotu- Gambiers). The result in the Tuamotu- Gambier seat was still in doubt when “PIM” went to press.

UTD; Alfred Poroi (lies du Vent); Marcel Hart, Taratua Teriirere (lies sous le Vent).

INDEPENDENTS: Frantz Vanizette, Charles Taufa (lies du Vent); Andre Teikitutoua (Marquesas); Tetuarua Oputu (Austral Islands); Andre Porlier (Tuamotu-Gambiers).

John Teariki.