Gaston Tong Sang

Infobox President
name = Gaston Tong Sang


order = President of French Polynesia
term_start = April 15, 2008
term_end =
vicepresident =
predecessor = Gaston Flosse
successor =
order2 = President of French Polynesia
monarch2 =
term_start2 = December 26, 2006
term_end2 = August 31, 2007
predecessor2 = Oscar Temaru
successor2 = Oscar Temaru
birth_date = Birth date and age|1949|8|7|mf=y
birth_place = Bora Bora, French Polynesia
dead =
party = Tahoera'a Huiraatira (Popular Rally) (to 2007)
O Porinetia To Tatou Ai'a (Polynesia, Our Home) (2007-Present)
spouse = ?
religion =

Gaston Tong Sang ["Tong Sang" is the family name, "Gaston" is the given name.] (born August 7, 1949 in Bora-Bora) is the current President of French Polynesia. He was also President from 2006 until 2007 and is the Mayor of Bora-Bora. He is of Chinese descent, [ [http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2006/12/27/gaston-tong-sang-elected-french-polynesia-president- Gaston Tong Sang Elected French Polynesia President] ; [http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2006/December/12-18-01.htm Temaru To Seek Re-election In Tahiti Stalemate] ] and is a founding member of French Polynesia's pro-French Tahoera'a Huiraatira political party. cite news |first=|last=|title= Tong Sang Out On No Confidence Vote |url= http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/09/01/tong-sang-out-on-no-confidence-vote|work= Pacific Magazine |publisher= |date=2007-09-01 |accessdate=2007-09-01 ]

Tong Sang was the Tahoera'a Huiraatira party's presidential candidate in the election of March 2005, but was defeated by Oscar Temaru 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 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.cite news|last = NA|first = NA|title = Motion of no confidence in new French Polynesia government fails |work = Radio New Zealand International| date = 2007-01-19|url = http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=29585|accessdate = 2007-10-23 ]

2007 Political Crisis

Gaston Tong Sang was heavily criticized by former French Polynesian President Gaston Flosse in July 2007. Flosse, a powerful pro-France politician 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. cite news |first=|last=|title= Tong Sang Asked To Resign By Own Party |url= http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/08/30/tong-sang-asked-to-resign-by-own-party|work= Pacific Magazine |publisher= |date=2007-08-30 |accessdate=2007-09-01 ]

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 (UPLD) party on Wednesday, August 29, 2007. The UPLD said that the no cofidence 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 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 vote of no confidence 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 defacto alliance to oust a sitting French Polynesian government.

Tong Sang continued on as part of a caretaker government 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. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6994513.stm BBC NEWS, French Polynesia gets new leader] ]

Tong Sang subsequently founded a new party, O Porinetia To Tatou Ai'a, on 1 October 2007. [ [http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35457 Ousted French Polynesia president forms new party ] ]

On 15 April 2008 Tong Sang again became President following a no confidence motion against the government of Gaston Flosse. [cite news|url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=39199|title=French president welcomes French Polynesia’s change of leadership|publisher=Radio New Zealand|date=17 April 2008]

References

External links

* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10416929 New Zealand Herald: French Polynesia elects new president]