World Country Guide

History and Government

History
The first Europeans to arrive on the island groups were 16th-century Spanish and Portuguese explorers. The British, notably Captain Cook and later Captain Bligh (of ‘HMS Bounty’ notoriety), and then the French, took control of the islands in the 18th century. Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia, was made a French protectorate in 1842 and a colony in 1880. The other islands were annexed by the turn of the century. This status quo remained until 1957, when Polynesia was made an Overseas Territory. A revised constitution, introduced in 1977, ceded greater autonomy. For the next 20 years, the islands’ politics were dominated by the French nuclear testing programme.

By the time the programme ended in 1996, 150 separate explosions had been detonated, mainly on the atoll of Mururoa. In general, the French government was able to rely on the firm backing of most of French public opinion and an often ambivalent attitude on the part of the inhabitants of French Polynesia, who were well aware of the considerable benefits of the test programme to the otherwise threadbare local economy. The tests had begun in 1966, but it was not until the 1980s that opposition to them began to assume significant proportions, following the terrorist attack by French special forces on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior.

By the time of the final series of tests in 1995/6, Tahiti had become the focus of opposition from throughout the South Pacific, and several riots occurred. Although the protesters failed to stop the tests, their campaign had an important political effect by linking the anti-nuclear movement and the burgeoning pro-independence movement which had so far been largely unrepresented in any political forum, despite the support of a large proportion (possibly the majority) of the population. The politics of the territory had been dominated for the previous decade by the centre-right Tahoeraa Huiratira (TH) party, led by Gaston Flosse, allied to the French Gaullist Rassemblement pour la Rpublique (RPR), which backed French rule and nuclear testing.

Tahoeraa has won all of the four most recent elections for the Territorial Assembly. At the most recent poll in May 2001, Tahoeraa won 28 seats, giving the party an outright majority, and Flosse remains a popular leader despite his conviction for fraud in 1992. The main pro-independence party, Tavini Huiratira, has established itself as the main opposition.

Government
The French government is represented by a High Commissioner who controls foreign affairs, defence and justice. In other spheres, the islands have enjoyed internal autonomy since July 1977, which is exercised by an elected government. This comprises a legislature, the 41-member Territorial Assembly which is directly elected for a five-year term, and an Executive President and Council of Ministers, all of whom are chosen from among the membership of the Assembly.