ʻĀmuitahiraʻa o te Nūnaʻa Māʻohi

Amuitahiraʻa o te Nunaʻa Maohi (French: Rassemblement du peuple Maohi, lit. 'Rally of the Maohi People'), known as Tāhōʻēraʻa Huiraʻatira (French: Rassemblement populaire, lit. 'Popular Rally') until January 2022, is a political party in French Polynesia. The party is conservative, pro-autonomy party and anti-independence. It was founded in 1977 by Gaston Flosse, who supports French Polynesia's current autonomy arrangement with France and who led it for over 20 years.

Rally of the Maohi People
Amuitahiraʻa o te Nunaʻa Maohi
PresidentGaston Flosse
Founded1977 (1977)
Split fromRally for the Republic
HeadquartersBoîte postale 471, Papeete, Tahiti
IdeologyConservatism
Historical:
Gaullism[1]
Political positionCentre-right to right-wing
National affiliationUnion of Democrats and Independents
ColoursOrange  
National Assembly (French Polynesian seats)
0 / 3
Senate (French Polynesian seats)
0 / 2
Assembly of French Polynesia
1 / 57
Party flag
Website
www.tahoeraahuiraatira.pf

The party is backed by most non-Polynesian settlers (Europeans and Asians) in French Polynesia; nonetheless the party must rely on Polynesian support to win elections, as they make up 70% of the territory's population.

History
Logo as Tāhōʻēraʻa Huiraʻatira

The party was formed in 1977 from the Tahitian Union-UDR.[2] Originally Gaullist, in 1980 it announced its support for self-government for French Polynesia.[1]

On 23 May 2004, in the legislative elections and on 13 February 2005 in the by-elections, the party won 27 out of 57 seats.

Gaston Tong Sang was the party's presidential candidate in the election of March 2005, but was defeated by Oscar Temaru by 29 votes to 26. On 26 December 2006, Tong Sang was elected President of French Polynesia. He fell to a no-confidence vote on 31 August 2007, and Temaru was elected again on 14 September 2007. Tong Sang then split from his former party to found a new party called O Porinetia To Tatou Ai'a.

The party elected two deputies to the French National Assembly in 2007. It won 10 seats in the 2008 territorial elections.[3]

2013 victory and collapse

At the 2013 territorial elections the party won 38 of 57 seats.[4] Flosse was elected president, with Nuihau Laurey as his vice-president.[5] In September 2014 Flosse was convicted of corruption and removed from office,[6] and Édouard Fritch succeeded him as president.[7] A subsequent dispute between Fritch and Flosse[8] and a series of expulsions[9] saw the party split in May 2015, with 15 MPs leaving to form Tapura Huiraatira.[10] A further series of expulsions and defections saw the party weakened further before the 2018 election.[11][12][13]

At the 2017 French presidential election the party endorsed National Front candidate Marine Le Pen.[14]

Flosse attempted to stand at the 2018 territorial elections but was ruled ineligible by the courts,[15] and he did not appear on the party list.[16] The party won 28 percent of the vote and 11 seats in the election.[17] All of them left the party for other groups over the course of the term.[18]

2022 renaming

At its party congress on 30 January 2022 the party formally renamed itself Amuitahira'a o te nuna'a maohi and selected candidates for the 2022 French legislative election.[19][2] The party will support Valérie Pécresse in the 2022 French presidential election. The party supports a referendum with the objective of making French Polynesia an associated state of France as a way of obtaining independence for the Maohi people.[20]

The party failed to meet the 12.5% threshold to enter the second round of the 2023 election.[21] It subsequently formed a joint list with Tāpura Huiraʻatira, the Union of Autonomists Against Independence.[22]

References
  1. "Neutron tests anger tahitians". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 18 September 1980. p. 5. Retrieved 4 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "Le Tahoera'a est mort, vive le Amuitahira'a" (in French). Tahiti Infos. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  3. "Tatou Aia coalition in French Polynesia emerges as leading party". RNZ. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  4. "Stunning election victory for Tahoeraa Huiraatira in French Polynesia". RNZ. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  5. "Flosse elected as French Polynesia president for fifth time". RNZ. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  6. "Shock over Tahiti's Flosse removal from office". RNZ. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  7. "Fritch elected as President of French Polynesia". RNZ. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  8. "Rift deepens within ruling Tahiti party". RNZ. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  9. "Tahiti vice president expelled from own party". RNZ. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  10. "Ruling Tahiti party loses assembly majority". RNZ. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  11. "Tahiti's Tahoeraa loses another member". RNZ. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  12. "Nupure the latest to leave Tahiti's Tahoeraa". RNZ. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  13. "Another defection in French Polynesia". RNZ. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  14. "French Polynesia's Tahoeraa to endorse Le Pen". RNZ. 23 March 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  15. "Flosse fails in bid to run for Tahiti office". RNZ. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  16. "Tahiti election lists leave out Flosse". RNZ. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  17. "French Polynesia incumbent wins resounding election victory". RNZ. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  18. "Un millier de militants orange à Mamao" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  19. "Le Tahoera'a Huira'atira devient Amuitahiraa o te nuna'a ma'ohi… mais ne rallie plus de figures politiques" (in French). TNTV News. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  20. "Gaston Flosse : "L'objectif lointain c'est l'indépendance du peuple maohi"" (in French). FranceInfo. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  21. "Oscar Temaru's Tavini Huiraatira party wins round one of French Polynesia's territorial elections". RNZ. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  22. "La liste "d'union" entre Fritch et Flosse déposée" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
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