PAPE’ETE (Pacnews) — French Polynesia’s newly elected President Gaston Tong Sang has announced his cabinet lineup.
Tong Sang’s 15-member cabinet includes significant portfolios for three outer islands members of the local legislative assembly — Louis Frébault, Michel Yip and Temauri Foster — who crossed the floor to oust then President Oscar Temaru in a motion of no-confidence on Dec. 13, 2006
Temauri Foster, who claims to lead the group, has been made vice president and minister for municipalities development.
Frébault is the new minister for public works, ports and airports while Yip has taken charge of posts and telecommunications and black pearl farming industries.
All three also held ministerial portfolios under the ousted Temaru administration.
President Tong Sang had also offered cabinet portfolios to members of the “civil society.”
Other political parties in the new government, which form the new “pro-autonomy” majority, are Émile Vernaudon’s Ai’a Api (two ministers, Natacha Taurua, culture and crafts; and Clarentz Vernaudon, youth and sports) and Jean-Christophe Bouissou Rautahi (two portfolios — Maina Sage, tourism and environment; and Moana Blanchard, land transport).
Most of the other members of the cabinet belong to Tong Sang’s party, the Tahoeraa Huiraatira, which has governed French Polynesia for most of the past twenty years.
Armelle Merceron, a former health minister under veteran politician Gaston Flosse’s administration, is now in charge of the key finance and public service portfolio.
Tahoeraa Huiraatira secretary general Bruno Sandras said Flosse at no stage took part in the new cabinet makeup discussions.
Flosse was believed to be out of French Polynesia.
Last week Tong Sang visited French High Commissioner Anne Boquet, a clear signal that he intended to honor his pledge to normalize relations with the French government after months of tensions under the previous Temaru pro-independence administration.
Relations between Temaru’s administration and the French central government had soured in past months, mainly due to the ousted president’s claims to have French Polynesia follow a similar path to New Caledonia’s decolonization process.
Temaru had mentioned on several occasions a so-called “Tahiti Nui Accord” which he said would be a blueprint comparable to New Caledonia’s Nouméa Accord and would set out guidelines for a gradual transfer of powers from France to local authorities.