Pedro Pablo Petero Edmunds Paoa (born 1 July 1961) is a Chilean Christian Democrat politician. He is currently (since March 2010) the governor of the Easter Island Province. He was previously mayor of Easter Island Commune.
He recently threatened the Chilean government with the unilateral independence, in response to the attempt to launch a casino in Easter Island, without the approval of the population.
He is a supporter of the island autonomy from Valparaíso region, saying this would allow islanders to handle the problems locally rather than rely on an official "more than 4000 kilometers and you do not know the island".[1]
His appointment as Easter Island governor sparked protests from indigenous polynesians on the island, who feared he planned land deals. In response the "Rapa Nui Parliament", a group of indigenous polynesians, occupied government buildings, demanded Paoa's resignation and wrote to the Pacific Islands Forum saying they wanted to secede from Chile.[2] Reports later said that the governor had resigned.[3]