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French regional elections in overseas territories

Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Reunion electing their assemblies and councils · In all four cases, voters are presented a two-candidate choice

Martinica capital city Fort-de-France.
Martinica capital city Fort-de-France. Author: Jukka
December 6th first round of regional elections were not only held in France's European lands, but also in four overseas territories, where regional councils and assemblies were elected: the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the South American territory of Guiana, and the African island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean. Other French overseas territories not having the official status of regions -such as Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, New Caledonia and Polynesia- did not elect their own assemblies.

In this article we provide an overview of the first round of the elections in those four territories, plus an insight on the electoral race for the second round, to be held on Sunday 13th.

Guadeloupe. The second round of the vote will witness a tête-à-tête between Ary Chalus's list -which includes social democrats and social liberals- and Victorin Lurel, the leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in the Caribbean island. In the first round, Chalus obtained 43% of votes, against Lurel's 41%.

Both are running on platforms which grant central importance to social welfare issues -with a more centrist leaning in Chalus's-, and both advocate for Guadeloupe's continued place in the French Republic -although Chalus says he wants the island's bodies to be granted a strengthened position. Lurel is seeking another mandate, after he won an absolute majority in the2010 regional election.

Conservative parties ran to the first round divided into four different lists. Altogether they got some 10% of the votes, and none of them will be running for the second round. Besides this, pro-sovereignty UPLG party obtained a mere 0.5% of the votes.

Martinique. As is the case for Guadeloupe, victory in the second round will be fought over by two lists. On the one hand, current president Serge Letchimy leads a 12-party centre-left alliance which includes the pro-autonomy PPM party. On the other, an alliance led by Alfred Marie-Jeanne includes several pro-independence and communist parties. Ironically enough, Marie-Jeanne's candidacy has agreed to merge into a single list for the second round with pro-French, centre-right Yan Monplaisir's list. Letchimy received 39% of the votes in the first round, Marie-Jeanne 30%, and Monplaisir 14%.

Both alliances run on platforms focusing on what they say are the many potentialities of Martinique's new institutional arrangement, or what is the same, the island's current general and regional councils merger into one single, strengthened territorial collectivity. Little if any talk about pursuing a pro-autonomy agenda in any of both lists.

Guiana. The election's second round will see current president of the Regional Council Rodolphe Alexandre (42% of the votes in the first round) facing current President of the General Council Alain Tien-Liong (30%).

Just as it happens in Martinique, Guiana's regional and general councils will be merging into one single territorial collectivity. Both lists say their exercise of government will be focused on seizing the new opportunities provided by that framework. Alexandre's manifesto also speaks of "highlighting the cultures of indigenous peoples." Tien-Liong, for its part, even if he is considered to be a man close to pro-independence MDES party, is not running on a secessionist platform at all. Instead, Tien-Liong says "a new relationship between the [French] state and Guiana, based on the idea that our interests can converge," should be established.

In fact, out of the ranks of MDES a candidacy led by Fabien Canavy had emerged. Canavy advocated a "new Guiana," and called for reviewing relations with France. But in the first round his list earned 5.7% of the votes, not enough to run for the second round.

Reunion. As in the other cases, two lists will be contesting victory in the second round. General Council of Reunion president Didier Robert (centre-right, 40% of the votes in the first round) will be facing a merged list of leftist Huguette Bello (24%) and centrist Thierry Robert (20%). Didier Robert focuses on fostering the island's economic development; Bello, instead, gives greater prominence to proposals of social welfare.