Gaston Tong Sang (born August 7, 1949 in

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 French R ...

) is a French politician and is the former

President of French Polynesia , flag = , flagsize = , flagcaption = , insignia = Coat of arms of French Polynesia.svg , insigniasize = , insigniacaption = Coat of arms of French P ...

. He served terms as President of

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 French ...

from November 2009 until April 2011, from April 2008 until February 2009 and from December 2006 until September 2007; he is currently the Mayor of

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 French R ...

. He is of Chinese descent, and is a founding member of French Polynesia's pro-French Tahoera'a Huiraatira political party.

Personal life

Tong Sang was born in

. His mother was Aren Siou Moun, 81, known as Mama Are, who died on July 21, 2007.

President of French Polynesia

Tong Sang was the Tahoera'a Huiraatira party's presidential candidate in the election of March 2005, but was defeated by

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 ...

by 29 votes to 26. On 26 December 2006, Tong Sang was elected President of French Polynesia by 31 votes to 26. On January 18, 2007 Tong Sang's new government survived a

motion 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 ...

brought by the party of former French Polynesian president, Oscar Temaru. Only 26 MPs showed up for the vote, which needed three additional MPs in order to pass.

2007 Political Crisis

Gaston Tong Sang was heavily criticized by former French Polynesian President Gaston Flosse in July 2007. Flosse, a powerful pro-

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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

and founder of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party, of which Tong Sang is a member, accused Tong Sang of caving in too easily to the demands of some of French Polynesia's minor coalition parties and ignoring the needs of Tahoeraa Huiraatira. Critics of Flosse charged that the allegations against Tong Sang were a move by Flosse to regain the presidency. Flosse's critics bolstered their charges against Flosse when it was revealed that Flosse had held "secret talks" with Oscar Temaru, a leading pro-independence politician who has been Flosse's long time political opponent in the past. According to reports, the talks were aimed at ousting Tong Sang from office and setting up a unity platform between Flosse and Temaru's respective political parties. A no confidence motion was introduced by Temaru's

Union for Democracy Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

(UPLD) party on Wednesday, August 29, 2007. The UPLD said that the no confidence motion against Tong Sang was based on the fact that he had only small support in Parliament and that he had lost his legitimacy to govern. Tong Sang's own Tahoeraa Huiraatira party asked President Tong Sang to resign ahead of the

vote 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 ...

against him. Tong Sang refused the calls from his party to step down. Gaston Tong Sang was removed from office and his government fell after a

on August 31, 2007. The motion of no confidence was passed by French Polynesia's 57 member Parliament. The motion against Tong Sang was passed by a majority 35 members of Parliament, including some members of Tong Sang's own Tahoera'a Huiraatira party. Tong Sang had tried to save his government by offering Tahoer'a Huiraatira 7 ministerial posts. The party refused. The motion against Tong Sang was the first time that Oscar Temaru's Unity for Democracy Party and Gaston Flosse's Tahoera'a Huiraatira party had formed a de facto

alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

to oust a sitting French Polynesian government. Tong Sang continued on as part of a

caretaker government A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...

position until new elections were held on September 10, 2007. The Tong Sang government was the third French Polynesian government to fall to motions of no confidence in the preceding three years, prompting calls for reform. On September 14, 2007, Temaru was elected as President of French Polynesia for the third time in three years, replacing Tong Sang. Tong Sang subsequently founded a new party,

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 on 1 October 2007 after he split from his former party, the Tāhō‘ēra‘a Huira‘a ...

, on 1 October 2007. On 15 April 2008 Tong Sang again became President following a no confidence motion against the government of Gaston Flosse. He resigned again on 8 February 2009, and

became president again after beating Tong Sang in the

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 p ...

on 12 February 2009.

Return to the Presidency (2009-2011)

He became president again on 25 November 2009 after Temaru fell in a vote of no confidence. He fell to a vote of no confidence himself on 1 April 2011.

President of the Assembly (since 2018)

He was elected as the President of the

Assembly of French Polynesia The Assembly of French Polynesia (french: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te apo'ora'a rahi o te fenua Mā'ohi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Pla ...

on 17 May 2018.Le président - Assemblée de la Polynésie française
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tong Sang, Gaston Living people 1949 births Presidents of French Polynesia Mayors of Bora Bora People from Bora Bora Speakers of the Assembly of French Polynesia French Polynesian politicians of Chinese descent Overseas Chinese Presidents Tahoera'a Huiraatira politicians O Porinetia To Tatou Ai'a politicians Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Order of Tahiti Nui