Ordinance of 19 November 2025 extending and adapting to French Polynesia and New Caledonia the provisions of the Law of 21 May 2025 harmonising the electoral system for municipal elections
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This ordinance extends the provisions of the Law of 21 May 2025 — which harmonises the electoral system for municipal elections in metropolitan France — to the French overseas collectivities of French Polynesia and New Caledonia, with necessary adaptations to their specific institutional frameworks. The central reform introduces the parity list voting system (scrutin de liste paritaire) for all municipalities, including those with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, which were previously exempt from this requirement. This change ensures gender-balanced candidate lists across all communes regardless of population size. The reform will take effect from the next general renewal of municipal councils in 2032, giving local authorities and political organisations sufficient time to adapt their candidate selection processes to the new parity requirements. By applying these rules to the overseas territories, France aims to ensure democratic consistency and equal representation standards across all its territories, including its Pacific collectivities.
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Key Changes
- Parity list voting system (scrutin de liste paritaire) extended to French Polynesia and New Caledonia starting from the 2032 municipal council renewal
- All municipalities regardless of population size — including those under 1,000 inhabitants — must now apply gender-parity candidate lists
- Previously, communes with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants were exempt from parity list requirements; this exemption is abolished
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Obligations
What this law requires
Apply the parity list voting system (scrutin de liste paritaire) to all municipal elections in French Polynesia and New Caledonia, including municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants
Ensure candidate lists for municipal elections maintain gender parity in accordance with the parity list voting system
Implement the new electoral system provisions by the general renewal of municipal councils in 2032
Adapt candidate selection processes to comply with the new parity requirements before the 2032 municipal council renewal
Remove the previous exemption for municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants from parity list requirements