Napole Polutélé
| Napole Polutélé | |
|---|---|
| Member of the National Assembly for Wallis and Futuna's single constituency | |
|
Assumed office 24 March 2013 | |
| Preceded by | David Vergé |
| Majority | 647 votes (5.2 %) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 June 1965 Wallis, France |
| Political party | none |
Napole Polutélé, born 25 June 1965[1] in Wallis,[2] is a French / Wallisian politician.
He studied in metropolitan France in Toulouse and Bordeaux, then began a career as a secondary school history and geography teacher, first in Nouméa (New Caledonia) for a year, then in his home island.[2]
He served as a member of the Territorial Assembly of Wallis and Futuna,[3] before entering French national politics. He stood as a candidate in the 2013 by-election for Wallis and Futuna's seat in the French National Assembly. Although he stood as an independent, he was endorsed and supported by the right-wing Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).[2] He was elected, in the second round on 24 March, with 37.5% of the vote, ahead of two candidates of the left.[4] Two months later, having been elected to sit on the opposition benches (albeit officially as an independent), he joined the ranks of the Socialist-led majority in the National Assembly. He explained frankly that being a member of the majority would make it easier for him to lobby the government for funds and services for his constituents - who, he said, cared little for the left-right divide prevalent in metropolitan France. He subsequently sat as an independent on the benches of the left.[5] Specifically, he promised to lobby for the setting up of a better sewerage system in the territory, and faster repairs following damage caused by a cyclone.[5] His crossing the floor so soon after his election caused strong reactions within the UMP, with party leader Jean-François Copé describing it as "shocking" and the party's parliamentary leader Christian Jacob calling it "outrageous".[6]
References
- ↑ Official file, website of the French National Assembly
- 1 2 3 "Napole Polutélé nouveau député de Wallis et Futuna", Outre-Mer 1ère, 25 March 2013
- ↑ "ELU GRÂCE À L'UMP, LE DÉPUTÉ SIÉGERA AVEC LE PS", Direct Matin, 4 June 2013
- ↑ By-elections to the National Assembly in 2013, French Ministry of the Interior
- 1 2 "Le député de Wallis Napole Polutélé rejoint le Parti Socialiste", Outre-Mer 1ère, 29 May 2013
- ↑ "Le changement de bord de Napole Polutélé irrite l'UMP", Outre-Mer 1ère, 4 June 2013