Teva Rohfritsch
Rohfritch in 2013
Senator for French Polynesia
Assumed office
27 September 2020
Preceded byNuihau Laurey
Vice-President of French Polynesia
In office
13 January 2017 – 2 September 2020
PresidentÉdouard Fritch
Preceded byNuihau Laurey
Succeeded byTearii Alpha
Economy, Finance, Major Works and Blue Economy
Succeeded byYvonnick Raffin (Finance)
Tearii Alpha (Blue Economy)
Member of the French Polynesian Assembly
for Windward Isles
In office
7 May 2013 – 30 April 2023
In office
29 January 2008 – 2 May 2011
Succeeded byRene Temeharo
Personal details
Born (1975-02-03) 3 February 1975 (age 48)
Political partyTahoera'a Huiraatira
A Tia Porinetia
Tapura Huiraatira
Ia Ora te Nuna'a

Teva Rohfritsch (born 3 February 1975)[1] is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. Since 2020 he has been one of French Polynesia's two senators in the French Senate, sitting with the Rally of Democrats, Progressives and Independents.[1]

Rohfritsch is a former director of Socredo bank.[2] He was first appointed to French Polynesia's Council of Ministers as tourism minister in November 2003.[2] In 2005 he was economics minister.[3] Following the 2008 French Polynesian legislative election he was appointed finance minister.[4] In Oscar Temaru's 2009 administration he was appointed Minister of Maritime Resources.[5] In April 2009 he was suspended from Tahoera'a Huiraatira after refusing to quit Temaru's government.[6] He left the party two days later.[7] In November 2009 he was made Minister of economic restructuring, foreign trade, industry and business in Gaston Tong Sang's cabinet.[8] In March 2011 he was sacked from Tong Sang's government[9][10] and subsequently announced his intention to leave politics and return to the private sector.[11] His assembly seat was filled by René Temeharo.[12]

In the leadup to the 2013 territorial elections he founded the A Tia Porinetia party.[13] The party came third in the elections, winning 25 percent of the vote.[14] Following the elections he was a candidate for president, but lost to Gaston Flosse.[15]

In March 2014 he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Tahiti.[16]

In May 2015 he joined the government of Édouard Fritch as finance minister.[17] In February 2016 he formally merged A Tia Porinetia with Fritch's new Tapura Huiraatira party, becoming deputy leader.[18] In February 2017 he became finance minister again following the resignation of Nuihau Laurey to take up a role in the Senate.[19] He was later appointed vice-president. Following the 2018 elections he retained his role as vice-president and economy minister.[20]

In March 2020 he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Punaauia.[21] He subsequently offered to resign as vice-president, but his resignation was refused.[22][23] In August 2020 he was nominated as one of Tapura's candidates for the French Senate.[24] In September 2020 he resigned as vice-president and from Cabinet in order to campaign.[25][26] He was elected to the Senate on 28 September 2020.[27]

In September 2022 he joined Nicole Bouteau and Philip Schyle in resigning from Tapura Huiraatira, citing disappointment with Edouard Fritch's government.[28] In December 2022 he and Bouteau founded the Ia Ora te Nuna'a party.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b "M. Teva Rohfritsch" (in French). Senat. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "French Polynesian government re-shuffle sees three new ministers". RNZ. 4 November 2003. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  3. ^ "French Polynesian power prices drop". RNZ. 2 February 2005. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  4. ^ "President Flosse announces French Polynesian coalition government line-up". RNZ. 29 February 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  5. ^ "French Polynesia's newly-elected President finalises his Cabinet". RNZ. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  6. ^ "French Polynesia's Tahoeraa loses top member, suspends others". RNZ. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Further departures from French Polynesia's Tahoeraa". RNZ. 24 April 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Tahiti President Tong Sang forms Cabinet". Pacific Islands Report. 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  9. ^ "Gaston Tong Sang met fin aux fonctions de 6 ministres" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Public sit-in in French Polynesia". RNZ. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Rohfritsch relinquishes French Polynesia politics". RNZ. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  12. ^ "French Polynesia allows sacked ministers back into assembly". RNZ. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  13. ^ "New political group launched ahead of French Polynesia poll". RNZ. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Triumph for Gaston Flosse-led Tahoeraa in French Polynesia elections". RNZ. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Flosse elected as French Polynesia president for fifth time". RNZ. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Rohfritsch abandons Tahiti mayoral bid". RNZ. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Opposition politician joins weakened Tahiti government". RNZ. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Big turnout for launch of political party in French Polynesia". RNZ. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Tahiti finance minister Laurey resigns". RNZ. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  20. ^ "French Polynesia president presents govt line-up". RNZ. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Several French Polynesian politicians re-elected as mayors". RNZ. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Teva Rohfritsch doit rester au gouvernement" (in French). Tahiti News. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Tahiti vice-president's resignation refused". RNZ. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Tahiti's Tapura names candidates for French Senate election". RNZ. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  25. ^ "French Polynesia vice president Rohfritsch resigns". RNZ. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Teva Rohfritsch démissionne de ses fonctions de membre du Gouvernement de la Polynésie française" (in French). Présidence de la Polynésie française. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Tapura retains Tahiti's two seats in French Senate". RNZ. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Three former key Tapura members ponder founding new party in Tahiti". RNZ. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Ex-ministers form new party in French Polynesia". RNZ. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
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