Tapura Huiraatira leader Edouard Fritch emerges after casting his ballot in the second round of French Polynesia's territorial election. The Tapuraa won a resounding victory, it was announced last night. Photo: AFP
French Polynesia's ruling Tapura Huiraatira party has won a resounding victory in the run-off round of the territorial election.
The party led by Edouard Fritch secured 49 percent of the vote and because of provisions of the electoral system, this translates into 38 seats in the 57-member assembly.
Its share is twice the size of the combined result of the opposition made up of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira and the Tavini Huiraatira.
The Tahoeraa won 28 percent and the Tavini 23 percent of the vote.
This gives the Tahoeraa 11 seats and the Tavini, led by Oscar Temaru, eight seats.
Turnout was 67 percent, which is six percent lower than in the last election in 2013.
In his victory speech, Mr Fritch said voters had chosen realism over demagogy, autonomy over independence and development over welfare assistance.
The Tahoeraa leader Gaston Flosse, who was barred from standing because of a corruption conviction, said there was such fiddling and cheating in the election that he could not congratulate the winner.
The new assembly was due to be convened on 17 May to elect an assembly president and a day later to choose the president of the territorial government.
The Tapura was formed as a group in the assembly three years ago amid rifts within the Tahoeraa, which in 2013 had been elected with an overwhelming majority.
Two years ago, Mr Fritch formed the Tapura which merged with the assembly's anti-independence politicians who did not belong to the Tahoeraa.