Anne Boquet (born 19 March 1952 in Bellac,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) is a retired French senior civil servant. She is the first and only woman to have been High Commissioner in

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

to date. Boquet had previously served as Secretary-General in the French High commission in Pape'ete from 1993 to 1996 and as Prefect in several French departments. Her administration as High Commissioner saw unprecedented political instability with the turnover of five successive governments and three separate presidents come and go due to

votes of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

and

party switching Party switching is any change in political party affiliation of a partisan public figure, usually one currently holding elected office. Party switching also occurs quite commonly in Brazil, Italy, Romania, Ukraine, India, Malaysia , and the P ...

by top politicians in

. Boquet's term as High Commissioner in French Polynesia ended with her appointment as

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

for the metropolitan department of the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

region on 28 June 2008. She was awarded the rank of

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the

Order of Tahiti Nui The Order of Tahiti Nui was established on 5 June 1996 by the Assembly of French Polynesia to reward distinguished merit and achievements in the service to French Polynesia. History The Order of Tahiti Nui was established June 5, 1996 by resolu ...

, which is French Polynesia's highest honor, in June 2008 for her service to the collectivity. French Polynesian President

Gaston Tong Sang Gaston Tong Sang (born August 7, 1949 in Bora Bora) is a French politician and is the former President of French Polynesia. He served terms as President of French Polynesia from November 2009 until April 2011, from April 2008 until February 2009 ...

hailed Boquet's term and her action in "restoring dialogue" between French Polynesia and

metropolitan France Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...

in a speech at the award ceremony. Boquet stressed the importance of

political stability Political decay is a political theory, originally described by Samuel P. Huntington, which describes how chaos and disorder can arise from social modernization increasing more rapidly than political and institutional modernization. Huntington provi ...

as a precondition for future

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

in her final message before her departure from French Polynesia. "It must absolutely create a more positive climate of confidence for things to move ahead," she stated, "But I'm confident, (French Polynesians) are a strong people, even though the climate is not always easy...I'm confident and I call on (French Polynesians) to have faith in themselves too." She also noted that the future of French Polynesia lies with its young people.

Honours and decorations

National honours

Territorial honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boquet, Anne 1952 births High Commissioners of the Republic in French Polynesia People from Haute-Vienne French Polynesian politicians Prefects of France Prefects of Yvelines Living people Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Commanders of the Order of Tahiti Nui