Anne Boquet (born 19 March 1952 in

Bellac Bellac (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Bellac is where the French author Jean Giraudoux, writer of '' L'Apollon de Bellac'', was born in 1882. His house has been turned into ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) is a retired French senior civil servant. She is the first and only woman to have been High Commissioner in

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

to date. Boquet had previously served as Secretary-General in the French High commission in Pape'ete from 1993 to 1996 and as Prefect in several French departments. Her administration as High Commissioner saw unprecedented political instability with the turnover of five successive governments and three separate presidents come and go due to

votes of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fit ...

and

party switching Party switching or party hopping is any change in political party affiliation of a partisan public figure, usually one currently holding election, elected office. Party switching occurs quite commonly in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Italy, Romania ...

by top politicians in

. Boquet's term as High Commissioner in French Polynesia ended with her appointment as

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

for the metropolitan department of the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

region on 28 June 2008. She was awarded the rank of

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries, t ...

of the

Order of Tahiti Nui The Order of Tahiti Nui was established on 5 June 1996 by the Assembly of French Polynesia to reward distinguished merit and achievements in the service to French Polynesia. History The Order of Tahiti Nui was established June 5, 1996 by resolut ...

, which is French Polynesia's highest honor, in June 2008 for her service to the collectivity. French Polynesian President

Gaston Tong Sang Gaston Tong Sang (born 7 August 1949 in Bora Bora) is a French Polynesian politician and is the former President of French Polynesia. He served terms as President of French Polynesia from November 2009 until April 2011, from April 2008 until Fe ...

hailed Boquet's term and her action in "restoring dialogue" between French Polynesia and

metropolitan France Metropolitan France ( or ), also known as European France (), is the area of France which is geographically in Europe and chiefly comprises #Hexagon, the mainland, popularly known as "the Hexagon" ( or ), and Corsica. This collective name for the ...

in a speech at the award ceremony. Boquet stressed the importance of

political stability Political stability is a situation characterized by the preservation of an intact and smoothly functioning government or political system, avoiding significant disruptions or changes over an extended duration. Political stability signifies a state ...

as a precondition for future

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

in her final message before her departure from French Polynesia. "It must absolutely create a more positive climate of confidence for things to move ahead," she stated, "But I'm confident, (French Polynesians) are a strong people, even though the climate is not always easy...I'm confident and I call on (French Polynesians) to have faith in themselves too." She also noted that the future of French Polynesia lies with its young people.

Honours and decorations

National honours

Territorial honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boquet, Anne 1952 births High commissioners of the Republic in French Polynesia People from Haute-Vienne French Polynesian politicians Prefects of Yvelines Living people Commanders of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of French Polynesia