Gaston Flosse
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225766404
2008-07-15T08:45:06Z
85.197.16.12
added JPK affair
[[Image:Gaston Flosse.JPG||right|thumb|200px|Gaston Flosse, President of French Polynesia]]
'''Gaston Flosse''' (born [[June 24]], [[1931]]) is a politician and former President of [[French Polynesia]].
He supports the current autonomy arrangement between [[French Polynesia]] and [[France]] and has led the [[Conservatism|conservative]] pro-autonomy and anti-independence party [[Tahoera'a Huiraatira]] (People's Rally for the Republic Party) for more than 20 years. He was the vice-president of the government council from [[1982]] to [[1984]], when more autonomy was gained and he became President of the Governing Council. He held that position from [[1984]] to [[1987]] and from [[1991]] to [[2004]].
On [[February 27]], [[2004]], French Polynesian autonomy was again increased, and Flosse became President of French Polynesia (''Le président de la Polynésie française''). Shortly after, though, his party lost the [[French Polynesian legislative election, 2004|parliamentary elections]], and on [[June 15]], he left office when the parliament, the [[Assembly of French Polynesia]] (''Assemblée de la Polynésie française''), elected the pro-independence leader, [[Oscar Temaru]] to the post.
On [[October 22]], [[2004]], he was re-elected to the presidency, and he took office that day, although doubt was cast on the legitimacy of this election by [[Antony Géros]], the President of the French Polynesia Assembly (see [[French Polynesia political crisis 2004]]). On [[February 13]], [[2005]], Flosse's party lost the parliamentary [[by-election]]s, which had been called as a compromise after pressure from Temaru's supporters. On [[February 18]], [[2005]], Flosse lost the presidency again in a parliamentary confidence vote, and on [[March 3]], [[2005]], Temaru took over.
Apart from having been president of the territory, he has also been both tourism minister and housing minister. He is the mayor of Pirea municipality north of [[Papeete]] and is the representative for the territory in the [[French National Assembly]] in [[Paris]].
Flosse was able to rule with the support of centrist parties and groupings. He and French President [[Jacques Chirac]] have a close personal association, Chirac being a godfather to Flosse's youngest son. This relationship, of course has given the Tahitian special access to the highest levels of power in France, which he has utilised in negotiating aid packages and financial support for the territory.
On [[21 June]] [[2006]] Flosse was convicted of corruption and given a three-month suspended sentence. The court found that he had abused his political office in connection with a hotel purchase. He continued to be a member of the territorial assembly and French senate. [http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=24909]
Flosse's party came third in the February 2008 legislative assembly elections, but with the support of [[Oscar Temaru]] and his UPLD (Union for Democracy) party, which came second, Flosse became president of French Polynesia again on [[23 February]] [[2008]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/02/27/flosse-temaru-merge-into-single-caucus|title=Flosse, Temaru Merge Into Single Caucus|publisher=[[Pacific Magazine]]|date=[[27 February]] [[2008]]}}</ref> but was replaced by [[Gaston Tong Sang]] after losing a vote of confidence on [[15 April]] [[2008]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=39199|title=French president welcomes French Polynesia’s change of leadership|publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]]|date=[[17 April]] [[2008]]}}</ref>
==The JPK Affair==
A [[France 3]] TV programme, ''Death in the Tropics''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://programmes.france3.fr/pieces-a-conviction/44294532-fr.php|title=French TV programme, Death in the Tropics|publisher=}}</ref>, implicated Flosse in the 1997 disappearance and possible murder of Tahiti journalist<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cafepacific.blogspot.com/2008/06/flosse-to-sue-france-3-tv-over-jpk.html|title=Cafe Pacific Blog}}</ref> Jean-Pascal Couraud (aka JPK)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpkupdate.blogspot.com/|title=JPK Update website}}</ref>. JPK alledgedly had documents which tie Flosse to the [[Clearstream]] bank<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=25579|title=''France - Annual Report 2008'' Reporters without Borders}}</ref> alledgedly involved in finance transactions for terrorists and CEO's<ref>{{cite web|url=http://130.94.183.89/magazine/money.html|title=''Tracking Terrorist Money'' Pacific News Service}}</ref>.
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{{Succession box
| title = [[President of French Polynesia]]
| before = New title
| after = [[Jacky Teuira]]
| years = 1984 – 1987
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[President of French Polynesia]]
| before = [[Alexandre Léontieff]]
| after = [[Oscar Temaru]]
| years = 1991 – 2004
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[President of French Polynesia]]
| before = [[Oscar Temaru]]
| after = [[Oscar Temaru]]
| years = 2004 – 2005
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[President of French Polynesia]]
| years = [[2008]]
| before = [[Oscar Temaru]]
| after = [[Gaston Tong Sang]]
}}
{{end box}}
== See also ==
* [[Politics of French Polynesia]]
* [[French Polynesian legislative election, 2004]]
* [[List of political parties in French Polynesia]]
==Notes==
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[[Category:Presidents of French Polynesia]]
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[el:Γκαστόν Φλος]]
[[fr:Gaston Flosse]]
[[pl:Gaston Flosse]]
[[ty:Gaston Flosse]]
[[fi:Gaston Flosse]]