Frantz Vanizette (25 February 1927 — 5 November 2001) was a

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

n politician who served five times as president of the Assembly of French Polynesia. Vanizette was born in

Montendre Montendre () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas reg ...

in the Charente-Maritime department of France. After serving in the French Navy he moved to Tahiti where he worked as a secretary at the Chamber of Agriculture and married a sister of politician Jean-Baptiste Céran-Jérusalémy. In 1952 he became general secretary of the Polynesian Federation of Trade unions (CFTC) and became head of the social insurance fund (CPF). He was first elected to the Assembly of French Polynesia as an independent in the

1957 French Polynesian legislative election Legislative elections were held in French Polynesia on 3 November 1957 for the Territorial Assembly.La chronologie ...

. He opposed the government of

Pouvanaa a Oopa Pouvana'a a O'opa (May 10, 1895 – January 10, 1977) was a Tahitian politician and advocate for French Polynesian independence. He is viewed as the ''metua'' (father) of French Polynesia's independence movement. Pouvanaa served as a Deputy ...

, and advocated for its removal following the French riots against it. He subsequently joined the

Tahitian Democratic Union Tahitian or Tahitians may refer to: * someone or something from or associated with the island of Tahiti ** Tahitians, people with an indigenous Tahitian or ethnic identity ** Tahitian language, an Eastern Polynesian language used as a ''lingua fr ...

, and was re-elected on its ticket in the

1962 elections The following elections occurred in 1962. Africa * Algerian independence referendum * 1962 Chadian parliamentary election * Gambian legislative election * Northern Rhodesian general election * Southern Rhodesian general election * Federat ...

. He was re-elected as an independent at the 1967 election. In the leadup to the 1972 election he was a founder of the Te Au Tahoeraa–Tomite Taufa, which promoted limited autonomy within France. He was re-elected. In June 1975 he was re-elected as President of the Assembly after forming a new majority with the backing of pro-autonomy parties. In November 1975 the majority shifted again to favour the anti-autonomy Gaullist faction headed by Gaston Flosse. When Flosse was in Paris, he called a meeting of the Assembly in the middle of the night to reject the government's proposal for increased integration with France and to call for new elections. When the French government refused, pro-autonomy MPs and their supporters occupied the Assembly building, while Flosse's supporters formed their own Assembly and elected him president. At the 1977 election Vanizette ran as part of the pro-autonomy United Front, which won a majority. He was elected president of the Assembly and re-elected twice more in the next five years, alternating with

John Teariki John French "Tony" Teariki (died 5 October 1983) was a French Polynesian politician. He served as a member of the French National Assembly from 1961 to 1967, and as a member of the Territorial Assembly from 1957 until 1983. Biography Teariki was ...

. In 1981 he formed the Social Democratic Party with

Maco Tevane Maco Tevane, real name Marc Maamaatuaiahutapu (13 August 1937 – 21 August 2013) was a French Polynesian author, playwright, and politician who served as Minister of Culture in the government of Gaston Flosse in the 1990s. He was a defender of ...

, with which he contested the 1982 election. After failing to be re-elected he retired from political life. He died at Jean-Prince Hospital in Pirae in November 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanizette, Frantz 1927 births 2001 deaths People from Charente-Maritime French Polynesian trade unionists French Polynesian civil servants Members of the Assembly of French Polynesia Speakers of the Assembly of French Polynesia