It was founded by John Teariki and Henri Bouvier in 1965 following the banning of the pro-independence Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People (RDPT) by the colonial French government.
In order to avoid being seen as an illegal re-establishment of the RDPT, the party avoided placing former RDPT leaders in leadership positions, and stated that its objective was "a democratic development of French Polynesia in close collaboration with the French people and according to the preamble of the Constitution of 1958”.
[3] The party won 7 seats out of 30 at the 1967 French Polynesian legislative election and formed a coalition government with the pro-autonomy E'a Api led by Francis Sanford.
[2][14] After being inactive for 15 years, the party announced on 21 January 2023 that it would contest the 2023 election, and that its program would focus on independence.
[2][15] It held its first party congress in 15 years in February 2023, announcing it was seeking allies in Heiura-Les Verts or Tau Hotu rau.