Pays d'outre-mer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article is part of the series on Administrative divisions of France |
|---|
| Regional level |
|
Région |
| Departmental level |
|
Département |
| Arrondissement level |
| Arrondissement |
| Cantonal level |
| Canton |
| Intercommunal level |
|
Communauté urbaine |
| Communal level |
| Overseas |
|
Collectivité d'outre-mer |
Pays d'outre-mer (POM, French for 'overseas country') is the particular designation for the collectivité d'outre-mer (COM) of French Polynesia. French Polynesia was formerly a territoire d'outre-mer (TOM) until the constitutional reform on 28 March 2003 suppressed this category and created the collectivité d'outre-mer. The organic law passed on 27 February 2004 gives French Polynesia the particular designation of pays d'outre-mer while recalling that it belongs to the category of collectivités d'outre-mer. The constitutional council (conseil constitutionnel) has ruled that pays d'outre-mer was just a designation, not a legal status (which would have been unconstitutional).
The territory's new status meant a certain autonomy for French Polynesia in the Pacific region, the possibility for the territory to pass some laws of its own, and the establishment of a local French Polynesian citizenship based on permanent residence, which is a requirement for the right to vote in regional elections. However, France maintained control over justice, public order, the economy and defence in the territory.
New Caledonia, which has a unique status (collectivité sui generis) within the framework of the French Republic, is also sometimes called pays d'outre-mer, but this is strictly an incorrect designation. If the people of New Caledonia choose to remain part of France in a referendum on independence scheduled for 2014 or later, the community may also become a pays d'outre-mer. New Caledonia has unique status in that its assembly may also pass its own laws (lois de pays) and to bestow a local citizenship upon its permanent residents, and unlike in other French subdivisions (except for Corsica), the president of the assembly and the president of the territory are different.
[edit] Bibliography
- Frédéric Monera, L'idée de République et la jurisprudence du Conseil constitutionnel - Paris : L.G.D.J., 2004 [1]-[2];
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official site
- past and current developments of France's overseas administrative divisions like pays d'outre-mer (French language)
 |
This government-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
