The President of French Polynesia: He is elected by the Assembly of French Polynesia from among its members. He represents the territory, signs international agreements, appoints ministers, determines their roles and responsibilities, and publishes the acts of the various Polynesian institutions in the Official Journal of French Polynesia. The President also directs the administration, promulgates the territory’s laws, can issue regulatory acts, and holds appointment powers. He may also enter into agreements with municipalities and with the State.
The Government of French Polynesia: The President of French Polynesia selects the ministers who make up the government. The Vice President, in addition to their ministerial portfolio, is responsible for acting as interim President of French Polynesia when the President is absent or unable to serve. The Vice President presides over the Council of Ministers in the President’s absence. The Council of Ministers has, among other prerogatives, the authority to adopt legal regulations within its areas of competence, to make appointments (heads of departments, directors of public institutions, representatives of French Polynesia on boards of semi-public companies), and may be consulted by the State on draft decrees.
It is composed of 57 members elected for five years by direct universal suffrage, representing the five archipelagos of French Polynesia (Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, Austral Islands, Tuamotu-Gambier, and Marquesas). It adopts resolutions as well as “laws of the territory,” the latter of which may be subject to review by the Council of State in Paris. The 57 members of the Assembly of French Polynesia elect the President of this institution and vote annually on the budget of French Polynesia.
It provides opinions, notably on projects of an economic and social nature and on the “laws of the territory” presented by the Government or the Assembly of French Polynesia. The Economic, Social, Environmental, and Cultural Council (CESEC) is composed of 48 members appointed for a term of four years. They are divided into four colleges (employees, entrepreneurs, the associative sector, and development). Consultation with the CESEC is mandatory for territorial laws of an economic and social nature. The CESEC may also take up issues on its own initiative if two-thirds of its members vote in favor.
Alongside the Polynesian institutions, the High Commissioner of the Republic represents the State in French Polynesia. He holds the powers of the French Republic and is responsible, in particular, for ensuring compliance with laws and international commitments, maintaining public order, and overseeing administrative control.