Jacqui Drollet (born 22 November 1944) is a French Polynesian politician, independence campaigner, and former Cabinet Minister. He was Minister of Health from 1987 to 1991, and 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 Plac ...

from 14 April 2011 to 16 May 2013. Drollet was educated as a marine biologist at the

University of Toulouse The University of Toulouse (french: Université de Toulouse) was a university in the French city of Toulouse that was established by papal bull in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the Frenc ...

. In 1975 he founded '' Ia Mana te Nunaa'' ("Power to the People"), a radical pro-independence party opposed to nuclear testing. He was first elected to the

in the 1982 French Polynesian legislative election, when ''Ia Mana'' won three seats. In August 1982 he ran in a by-election for Deputy to the French National Assembly, coming third. He was re-elected in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

, and when Alexandre Léontieff became president in 1987, was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Health, Environment, and Scientific Research. As Health Minister he organised a conference on the impact of French nuclear testing, and campaigned for the collection of cancer statistics so the health effects could be monitored. He lost his seat in the Assembly in the 1991 election. He was re-elected to the Assembly on the Tavini Huiraatira list in the 1996 election, but lost his seat again in 2001. In June 2004 he was appointed vice-president in the government of

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 ...

. He was replaced as vice-president in October 2004 when Temaru lost a confidence vote to

Gaston Flosse Gaston Flosse (born 24 June 1931) is a French politician who has been President of French Polynesia on five separate occasions. He is currently a member of the Senate of France and has been a French junior minister under Jacques Chirac. He receiv ...

. He was reappointed as Vice-President when Temaru regained power in March 2005. He surrendered the position as part of a coalition realignment in April 2006. He was later appointed telecommunications and culture minister in Temaru's 2007 government, and minister of tourism in Temaru's 2009 government. While in opposition in 2010 he introduced and passed a bill in the Assembly limiting foreign investment in telecommunications in French Polynesia, effectively thwarting a plan by mobile phone company

Digicel Digicel is a Jamaican and Caribbean mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in 33 markets worldwide. Digicel has operated in several countries, including Guyana, Fiji, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Suriname, a ...

to enter the local market. In April 2011 he was elected President of the Assembly. In February 2012 he was found to have publicly maligned two female opposition MPs and ordered to pay each of them US$2,000. In March 2013 he established a regional grouping of Polynesian parliaments. In July 2014 when President

was convicted of corruption and banned from public office he wrote an open letter to French President François Hollande urging him to apply the law and dismiss Flosse from the Presidency. He retired from politics in 2017. In January 1997 he was appointed a commander of the Order of Tahiti Nui.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drollet, Jacqui 1944 births Living people People from Papeete University of Toulouse alumni Tavini Huiraatira politicians Members of the Assembly of French Polynesia Speakers of the Assembly of French Polynesia Government ministers of French Polynesia Ministers of Culture of French Polynesia Finance Ministers of French Polynesia Health ministers of French Polynesia Tourism ministers of French Polynesia Commanders of the Order of Tahiti Nui