Nicole Bouteau
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Bouteau in 2017
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1969 (age 54–55) |
| Political party | Ia Ora te Nuna'a Tapura Huiraatira Alliance for a New Democracy No Oe E Te Nunaa |
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Nicole Bouteau (born 1969) is a French Polynesian politician. She is a member of the Assembly of French Polynesia and a former Minister of Tourism.[1] She is the daughter of artist Fauura Bouteau.[2]
Bouteau has a masters degree from the University of French Polynesia.[1]
Bouteau is a member of the Assembly of French Polynesia, representing the Windward Islands (Iles du vent) in 2003-2008 and since May 2013. She is a member of the Tapura Huiraatira party but has previously been a member of Rassemblement pour une majorité autonomiste and A Ti'a Porinetia [fr]. In April 2003 she founded the No Oe E Te Nunaa party.[3] At the 2004 election president Gaston Flosse lost his majority, and Bouteau sided with pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru.[4] Following the collapse of Temaru's government she united with Philip Schyle to contest the Windward Islands by-elections as the Alliance for a New Democracy (ADN).[5][6] As ADN leader she voted to topple Flosse's government,[7] but abstained on the presidential vote which followed.[8] In August 2006 she was forced to vacate her seat in the Assembly due to election funding irregularities.[9] Following her disqualification she ran for the French National Assembly,[10] but was unsuccessful.[11] She subsequently contested the 2008 election as the leader of No Oe E Te Nunaa. The party was the only party to cross the 5% threshold in the first round of voting, but refused to form an alliance for the second round,[12] and failed to win any seats.
In 2009 she ran for a seat in the European Parliament.[13]
She held the position of Minister of Tourism in 2001-2002 and 2017-2021 (Ministre du Tourisme et de l’Artisanat traditionnel March-May 2001; Ministre du Tourisme, de l’Environnement et de la Condition féminine, March 2001-April 2002; Ministre du Tourisme, des Transports internationaux, chargée des Relations avec les institutions, January 2017-May 2018; Ministre du tourisme, du travail en charge des transports internationaux et des relations avec les institutions, May 2018-November 2021.[1] She resigned in November 2021 in protest after Tearii Alpha, a minister opposing government policy on Covid vaccination, was allowed to stay in the government.[14][15]
She is also a member of the municipal council for the commune of Papeete, the capital city of French Polynesia, elected most recently in June 2020.[16]
In the 2022 French legislative election, she contested French Polynesia's 1st constituency but lost to Tematai Le Gayic.[17]
In September 2022 she joined Teva Rohfritsch and Philip Schyle in resigning from Tapura Huiraatira, citing disappointment with Edouard Fritch's government.[18] In December 2022 she and Rohfritsch founded the Ia Ora te Nuna'a party.[19]
