Alexandre Léontieff (October 20, 1948 – March 2, 2009) was a French politician and the
President of French Polynesia
The president of French Polynesia (; ) is the head of government of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The office was first created in 1984. Moetai Brotherson has held the office since 2023.
List of pre ...
from 1987 to 1991.
Biography
Personal life
Léontieff was born on October 20, 1948, at Teahupo'o,
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
, near the world famous surfing location. He obtained a degree in
economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
from the
University of Rennes
The University of Rennes (French: ''Université de Rennes'') is a public university, public research university located in Rennes, Upper Brittany, France. Originally founded in 1460, the university was split into two universities in 1970: Univers ...
in 1970.
Léontieff was of Russian ancestry and the brother of French Polynesian politician Boris Léontieff, a one time
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filin ...
minister in the government of Gaston Flosse and former mayor of
Arue, French Polynesia
Arue is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Arue is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands,Fetia Api. He is believed to have been killed in a small plane crash in May 2002 while on a political campaign trip in the
Tuamotu Archipelago
The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to ...
. The plane's wreckage and passengers have never been found. Boris Léontieff was 47 years old at the time of his death.
Political career
President of French Polynesia
Léontieff was originally a
protégé
Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...
of
Gaston Flosse
Gaston Flosse (born 24 June 1931) is a French Polynesian 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 ...
in the Tahoera'a Huiraatira political party during the 1980s. Flosse's Tahoera'a Huiraatira endorsed Léontieff's election as one of French Polynesia's two deputies in the
National Assembly of France
The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...
in 1986. Léontieff held the seat in the National Assembly until 1993, despite a later rift with Flosse and the Tahoera'a Huiraatira.
Flosse became French Polynesia's first president from 1984 until 1987. In February 1987, Flosse resigned from the presidency in order to become the first, and only, French state secretary in charge of Pacific affairs. However, Léontieff was passed over as Flosse's handpicked successor in favor of Jacques Teuira, who became French Polynesia's second president.
Léontieff responded by forming a majority coalition in the
Assembly of French Polynesia
The Assembly of French Polynesia (, ; Tahitian: ''Te apoʻoraʻa rahi o te fenua Māʻohi'') is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Place Tarahoi in Papeete, Tahiti. It wa ...
with others politicians opposed to Flosse and Teuira. Léontieff's coalition filed a
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 sp ...
motion against Teuira, which was adopted by the Assembly. The move forced Flosse's handpicked successor, Jacques Teuira, to resign as President of French Polynesia in December 1987.
Léontieff became President on December 9, 1987. He served as president from 1987 until 1991. Léontieff quit Gaston Flosse's Tahoera'a Huiraatira political party, and founded his own party, Te Tiarama, on January 23, 1988.
Gatson Flosse left his post in the
French government
The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...
in 1988 and returned to French Polynesia. Flosse became the main
opposition leader
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
in the Assembly during Léontieff's four-year presidency.
Flosse's Tahoera'a Huiraatira political party defeated Léontieff's governing coalition in the 1991
legislative elections
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
on March 17, 1991. Léontieff left office on April 4, 1991, and was succeeded by Flosse.
Post-presidency
Léontieff returned to political office in 1996 when he won a seat in the Assembly of French Polynesia. The time he was elected as a member of Oscar Temaru's Tavini Huiraatira, a pro-independence political party.
A Paris Criminal Court convicted Léontieff of
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
in three separate cases in 1997. He sentenced to two years in prison in 1999, following a series of appeals.
Gaston Flosse and Alexandre Léontieff reconciled their past personal and political differences in 2001, amazing political observers and French Polynesian analysts. Flosse rewarded Léontieff by naming him as a manager of an
investment
Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...
company charged with welfare housing. Flosse further resurrected Léontieff's career and reputation by appointing him the head of Caisse de Prevoyance Sociale (CPS), French Polynesia's
welfare
Welfare may refer to:
Philosophy
*Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group
* Utility in utilitarianism
* Value in value theory
Economics
* Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...
office, in 2004. He remained the director of the CPS until his death in 2009, despite numerous changes in presidential administrations between 2004 and 2009.
Death
Alexandre Léontieff died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
on March 2, 2009, at the age of 60. His was laid in state in the main hall of the Assembly of French Polynesia and buried on March 4, 2009, at the Uranie Cemetery in Tahiti.
The current President of French Polynesia Oscar Temaru quoted the 1947
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
winning French author
André Gide
André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...
in tribute to Léontieff, "Good workers always have the feeling they could work harder."