Legal System of French Polynesia

French Polynesia is located in Australia Oceania. It is geographically situated in oceania, five archipelagoes (archipel des tuamotu, iles gambier, iles marquises, iles tubuai, society islands) in the south pacific ocean about halfway between south america and australia. The country achieved independence on none (overseas land of france). The capital is Papeete (located on Tahiti).

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France Chief of State: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Alexander ROCHATTE (since 1 September 2025) Head of Government: President of French Polynesia Moetai BROTHERSON (since 12 May 2023) Cabinet: Council of Ministers approved by the Assembly from a list of its members submitted by the president Administrative Divisions: 5 administrative subdivisions (subdivisions administratives, singular - subdivision administrative): Iles Australes (Austral Islands), Iles du Vent (Windward Islands), Iles Marquises (Marquesas Islands), Iles Sous-le-Vent (Leeward Islands), Iles Tuamotu-Gambier National Holiday: Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of French Polynesia is described as the laws of France apply

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Amendment Process: French constitution amendment procedures apply

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Court of Appeal or Cour d’Appel (composition NA) Judge Selection: judges assigned from France for 3 years Subordinate Courts: Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Première Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral Note: note 1: elections held in two rounds; in the second round, 38 members are directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by a closed-list proportional representation vote; the party receiving the most votes gets an additional 19 seats

note 2: French Polynesia indirectly elects 2 senators to the French Senate for 6-year terms with one-half the membership renewed every 3 years and directly elects 3 deputies to the French National Assembly for 5-year terms

Citizenship and Suffrage

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

French Polynesia consists of five archipelagos – the Austral Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Society Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The Marquesas were first settled around 200 B.C. and the Society Islands around A.D. 300. Raiatea in the Society Islands became a center for religion and culture. Exploration of the other islands emanated from Raiatea, and by 1000, there were small permanent settlements in all the island groups.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of French Polynesia based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.