The Government of French Polynesia

French Polynesia - Government

Based on the etymolgy of French Polynesia, it was the term "Polynesia" is an 18th-century construct composed of two Greek words, "poly" (many) and "nesoi" (islands), and refers to the more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 5 administrative subdivisions (subdivisions administratives, singular - subdivision administrative): Iles Australes (Austral Islands), Iles du Vent (Windward Islands), Iles Marquises (Marquesas Islands), Iles Sous-le-Vent (Leeward Islands), Iles Tuamotu-Gambier; note - the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands together make up the Society Islands (Iles de la Societe)

National symbols

Outrigger canoe, Tahitian gardenia (Gardenia taitensis) flower; national colors: red, white.

The flag

The National flag of French Polynesia has two red horizontal bands encase a wide white band in a 1:2:1 ratio; centered on the white band is a disk with a blue and white wave pattern depicting the sea on the lower half and a gold and white ray pattern depicting the sun on the upper half; a Polynesian canoe rides on the wave pattern; the canoe has a crew of five represented by five stars that symbolize the five island groups; red and white are traditional Polynesian colors.

note: identical to the red-white-red flag of Tahiti, the largest and most populous of the islands in French Polynesia, but which has no emblem in the white band; the flag of France is used for official occasions

The National Anthem

Title	"Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" (Long Live Tahiti Nui)
Lyric/music	Maeva BOUGES, Irmine TEHEI, Angele TEROROTUA, Johanna NOUVEAU, Patrick AMARU, Louis MAMATUI, and Jean-Pierre CELESTIN (the compositional group created both the lyrics and music)

note: adopted 1993; serves as a local anthem; as a territory of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

More about the government of French Polynesia

Constitution
Date of Independence	none (overseas land of France)
National holiday	Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790); note - the local holiday is Internal Autonomy Day, 29 June (1880)
Legal system	the laws of France, where applicable, apply
International law organization participation
History	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Amendments	French constitution amendment procedures apply
Citizenship
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Eric SPITZ (since 23 September 2022)
Head of government	President of French Polynesia Moetai BROTHERSON (since 12 May 2023)
Cabinet	Council of Ministers approved by the Assembly from a list of its members submitted by the president
Elections/appointments	French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; French Polynesia president indirectly elected by Assembly of French Polynesia for a 5-year term (no term limits)
Legislative branch
Legislature name	Assembly of French Polynesia (Assemblée de la Polynésie française)
Legislative structure	Unicameral
Number of seats	57 (directly elected)
Electoral system	Proportional representation
Scope of elections	Full renewal
Term in office	5 years
Most recent election date	4/30/2023
Parties elected and seats per party	People's Servant People (38); List of the People (15); I Love Polynesia (3); Rally of the Mahoi People (1)
Percentage of women in chamber	49.1%
Expected date of next election	2028
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel (composition NA); note - appeals beyond the French Polynesia Court of Appeal are heard by the Court of Cassation (in Paris)
Judge selection and term of office	Judges assigned from France normally for 3 years
Subordinate courts	Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif
Diplomatic representation in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US
Embassy	None (overseas lands of France)
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	2 (1 cultural, 1 mixed); note - excerpted from the France entry
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Taputapuātea (c); Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands (m)