An indirect presidential election was held 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 ...

on 11 February 2009, after defections from the ruling pro-autonomy faction and a scheduled

constructive vote of no confidence The constructive vote of no confidence (german: konstruktives Misstrauensvotum, es, moción de censura constructiva) is a variation on the motion of no confidence that allows a parliament to withdraw confidence from a head of government only if t ...

planned for 12 February 2009 caused the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

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 200 ...

to step down on 7 February 2009. This presidential election was the third in less than a year since the 2008 general election, which had been called by

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 ...

to promote political stability. There were seven changes of government in French Polynesia since the 2004 general election. The

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

was chosen by members of the

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

Election background

Six of the members of President Gaston Tong Sang's governing coalition had quit in the months proceeding the 2009 presidential election, leaving his government open to potential challengers. In January 2009, Tong Sang had opened negotiations with

Oscar Temaru Oscar Manutahi Temaru (born November 1, 1944) is a French politician. He has been President of French Polynesia (''président de la Polynésie française''), an overseas collectivity of France, on five occasions: in 2004, from 2005 to 2006, from ...

to try to create a union government and set the stage for new elections. The negotiations failed to produce any tangible results, and were deemed as a failure. President Tong Sang announced on 7 February 2009, that he would step down ahead of a proposed

censure A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spir ...

motion against his government by a coalition of pro-separatist parties led by Temaru. Tong Sang's resignation, which he described as "immediate" was widely expected in the French Polynesian media, which characterized the move as a "strategy of resignation". The censure motion proposal against the Tong Sang government was supported by the Union for Democracy (UPLD), Tahoera'a Huiraatira, and Rautahi political parties. Together these parties put Temaru forward as their candidate for president as part of the no confidence measure. Supporters of the censure motion claimed that they could guarantee the support of 31 of the 57 members in the Assembly. Following his announcement of his intent to resign, Tong Sang immediately left

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

for

Bora Bora Bora Bora ( French: ''Bora-Bora''; Tahitian: ''Pora Pora'') is an island group in the Leeward Islands. The Leeward Islands comprise the western part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, which is an overseas collectivity of the Frenc ...

, where he also serves as the mayor. Temaru, who also served as the President of the Assembly at the time, accepted Tong Sang's resignation, paving the way for a new presidential election.

Election

Oscar Temaru appeared likely to be elected President, but shortly before the election, there were reports that the accord between Temaru, Gaston Flosse and Jean Christophe Bouissou had broken up again, calling into question Temaru's chances. Four candidates were nominated: *

, by Tavini Huiraatira and the Union for Democracy *

, by

O Porinetia To Tatou Ai'a ‘O Pōrīnetia To Tātou ‘Ai‘a ("Polynesia, a Homeland for us all") was a French Polynesian anti-independence political party founded by Gaston Tong Sang Gaston Tong Sang (born August 7, 1949 in Bora Bora) is a French politician and is t ...

* Edouard Fritch, by Tahoera'a Huiraatira * Sandra Levy Agami, formerly a member of Tong Sang's alliance

First round

In the first round of voting in the morning, Temaru received 24 votes, Tong Sang 20, Fritch 12 and Levy Agami one. The first round thus proved inconclusive, leading to a second round in the afternoon.

Second round

The second round of the election was held later on the afternoon of February 11, 2009. Temaru and Tong Sang advanced from the morning's first round. The Assembly elected Oscar Temaru as the next President during the second round. Temaru won 37 votes in the Assembly, which was 17 more votes than outgoing former President Tong Sang's 20. Temaru was elected thanks to support from the Tahoera'a Huiraatira party. The Tahoera'a Huiraatira candidate, Edouard Fritch, was defeated in the first round, and later support to Temaru. Temaru became President of French Polynesia for the fourth time in less than five years. The coalition which allowed Temaru to return to power consisted of Temaru's Union for Democracy, Flosse's and Fritch's Tahoeraa Huiraatira and Bouissou's Rautahi party. In his nomination speech to the Assembly, Temaru described the current tourism situation in French Polynesia as "catastrophic". Temaru noted that hotel occupancy rates in Bora Bora and

Moorea Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...

are currently less than 20% on certain days due to the world financial crisis. He explained that the huge drop in foreign visitors may cause the government to cut the work hours of government employees, lay off workers or close state-owned hotels.

Results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:French Polynesian Presidential Election, February 2009 2009 elections in Oceania

Presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

Presidential election 2009