Thomas Moutame

Thomas Moutame is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. He has served as Mayor of Taputapuatea since 1997.[2] He is a member of Tapura Huiraatira.

Thomas Moutame
Mayor of Taputapuatea
Assumed office
1997
Preceded byToni Hiro
Minister of Agriculture and Island Development
In office
17 May 2013 – 16 September 2014
PresidentGaston Flosse
Succeeded byFrédéric Riveta
Minister of Outer Islands Development
In office
18 February 2009 – 25 November 2009
PresidentOscar Temaru
Member of the French Polynesian Assembly
for Leeward Isles
Assumed office
7 May 2013
In office
23 May 2004 – 28 January 2008
In office
12 May 1996 – 5 May 2001
Personal details
Born1958 (age 64–65)[1]
Political partyTahoera'a Huiraatira
Tapura Huiraatira

Moutame is from Raiatea.[3] He was first elected to the Assembly of French Polynesia at the 1996 French Polynesian legislative election.[1] He lost his seat at the 2001 election, but was re-elected in 2004. He lost his seat again at the 2008 election.[1] In February 2009 he was appointed to the coalition cabinet of Oscar Temaru as Minister of Outer Islands Development.[4] He later worked as a technical advisor to the Ministry of Rural Economy.[3]

In 2007 while serving as Mayor of Taputapuatea he refused to marry a couple because one of them had had a sex change.[5] In March 2011 he was convicted of abuse of power and fined US$5000.[6] In September 2011 the Court of Appeal overturned an initial sentence of a year's ineligibility for office.[7]

Following the 2013 election he was appointed to the Cabinet of Gaston Flosse as Minister of Agriculture and Island Development.[8] After the fall of the Flosse government in September 2014 he returned to the Assembly.[9] In December 2015 he voted for Édouard Fritch's budget rather than abstain with the rest of his party.[10] He did the same in December 2016.[11]

In April 2017 he was one of 22 Tahoeraa politicians jointly ordered to repay US$2.1 million of public funds they had misused to advance their political party between 1996 and 2004.[12]

In February 2018 he left the Tahoeraa after failing to secure a high enough placing on the party list.[13] He subsequently ran as a Tapura Huiraatira in the 2018 election[14] and was elected.[15] In 2020 he was re-elected as Mayor of Taputapuatea for a fifth term.[2][16]

References
  1. "Thomas MOUTAME". Assemblée de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  2. "Moutame avec une belle majorité" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  3. "Qui sont les 8 ministres pressentis pour entrer dans le futur gouvernement ?" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  4. "French Polynesia's newly-elected President finalises his Cabinet". RNZ. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  5. "French Polynesia mayor in court over sex change objection". RNZ. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  6. "French Polynesia mayor sentenced for opposing sex change marriage". RNZ. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  7. "Pas d'inéligibilité pour Thomas Moutame, le maire qui avait refusé de marier un transsexuel" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  8. "Gaston Flosse présente son gouvernement" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  9. "Assemblée de Polynésie : l'hémicycle territorial réintègre les ministres élus" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 7 September 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  10. "Budget : Moutame et Raioha votent avec les pro-Fritch mais restent au Tahoera'a" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  11. "Le budget 2017 de la Polynésie française adopté par 33 voix" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  12. "Top Tahiti politicians ordered to repay diverted funds". RNZ. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  13. "Territoriales : le coup de bluff de Moutame a fonctionné" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  14. "Territoriales : le Tapura Huiraatira dévoile ses candidats" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  15. "Territoriales 2018 : Le nouveau visage de l'Assemblée" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  16. "Tong Sang, Tetuanui et Moutame rempilent" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
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