It is a highly symbolic victory obtained after a long suspense. At 21, the independent candidate Tematai Le Gayic, supported by the New People’s Ecological and Social Union (Nupes), is elected the youngest deputy in the history of the Ve Republic in the 1re constituency of French Polynesia. He is ahead of Nicole Bouteau, former Minister of Labor and Tourism, supported by Together!, the presidential coalition.
Mr. Le Gayic, who belongs to the Tavini huira’atira (“serve the people”) party,me Boueau. It is an unexpected victory for the young separatist, since in the first round, he came in second place with 20.10%, against 41.90% – more than twenty points behind – for his competitor. In this constituency, Mr. Le Gayic succeeds Maïna Sage, who belonged to the UDI, and did not stand for re-election.
Mr. Le Gayic thus beats the record for the youngest deputy in the history of the Ve Republic, previously owned by Marion Maréchal, elected at the time under the National Front label (now National Rally). In 2012, the niece of Marine Le Pen, then aged 22, won the 3e constituency of Vaucluse, in Carpentras, to the detriment of the outgoing UMP deputy, Jean-Michel Ferrand. The granddaughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen had benefited from the maintenance during this triangular of the socialist Catherine Arkilovitch.
Full box of separatists in Polynesia
The independence party Tavini huira’atira is a hit in Polynesia, managing to elect its three candidates to the National Assembly.
Besides Tematai Le Gayic in the 1re constituency, Steve Chailloux, a young teacher of Tahitian, was elected with 58.89% of the votes in the 2e constituency against the presidential majority candidate, Tepuaraurii Teriitahi (41.11%). The victory of incumbent MP Moetai Brotherson (61.32%) was more expected in the 3e constituency: he beat Tuterai Tumahai (38.68%), an autonomist novice in politics who had surprised by repeatedly damaging his support for his opponent’s ideas during the campaign.
National political labels have little influence on Polynesian voters, who position themselves mainly according to the instructions of local parties. The independence party also owes its victory to an opposition front against the local majority.
It is the first time that the independence party Tavini huira’atira has managed to elect more than one deputy, and the first time that it has won an election without an alliance. One year before the territorial elections, the most important ballot in French Polynesia, it is also a warning to the majority party and to the government of Edouard Fritch, put in difficulty by the economic crisis following the epidemic of Covid-19.