POLYNESIE FRANCAISE et la motion de censure

RNZI motion de censure élection août 2007 01 1er tour Tree presidents in 2004.mp3 4470K Lecture Télécharger

The political disarray in French Polynesia has continued as fresh presidential elections loom next week.

At the same time, France wants to clear the deck and has decided to send everybody back to the polls to choose a new assembly , possibly before the end of the year.

The instability has prompted some politicians to ask the new Maori King of New Zealand to defer his visit planned for next week.

Walter Zweifel reports.

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France's ruling UMP party has threatened to act against its most prominent French Polynesian member Gaston Flosse after last weekend's ousting of the French Polynesian president, Gaston Tong Sang.

After all, Mr Flosse's Tahoeraa Huiraatira party made history by voting for a motion of no confidence that set an end to the government led by one of its own politicians.

And as Mr Tong Sang had only recently been received by the new French leadership, the French press now says President Nicolas Sarkozy may call off his visit to Tahiti planned for next month.

A presidential election is now due to be held in two days and the opposition's Tea Hirshon says its candidate, Oscar Temaru, may win.

FR POLY FIRST (interview of Tea HIRSHON)

The other candidates are Mr Tong Sang and Edouard Fritch, both of the Tahoeraa.

But the infighting has been such that abstentions may prevent a candidate from winning an absolute majority.

The constitutional council in Paris is yet to decide if there can be a winner with fewer than 29 backers in the 57 strong assembly.

Uncertainty is not new in Tahiti.

In 2004 a situation arose with three men claiming to be president.

Two of them were Oscar Temaru and Gaston Flosse.

The third one, Rene Hoffer, is still adamant that in the absence of a valid court ruling against him, he still is the legal president.

Rene Hoffer explains.

FR POLY NO CONTEST

The 17 candidates, the high commissionar and the 57 representatives who were the only people allowed to contest the election of  October 25th 2004 in supreme court in France. And nobody did. Which means that I have autoproclaimed myself, I have written to the hight commissionar, I have told him that he has five days to go to supreme court if he whishes to contest my autoproclamation. Nobody did, so nobody has ever contested legaly my being president of so called French Polynesia since October 2004.."

France meanwhile wants a fresh start in French Polynesia.

Roundtable talks with local politicians planned for last weekend in Papeete fell through as a French junior minister, Christian Estrosi, witnessed the demise of Mr Tong Sang's government.

However, he spoke at a reception at the French high commission.

FR POLY ESTROSI PEUPLE

"Le mandat de l'actuelle assemblée sera abrégé et de nouvelles élections organisées le plus tôt possible afin que la parole..."

He told the crowd that the mandate of the legislative assembly will be shortened and general elections held as soon as possible.

In practice, elections may be held in December and January in two rounds of voting.

And although few in Tahiti appear to approve the change, the French governemnt wants to bring in the third electoral system in three years under urgency.

The current system, approved under urgency this year, has not been used.

Meanwhile, Mr Flosse and Mr Temaru have jointly sent a letter to Polynesian royal families, including the new Maori king in New Zealand, asking them to defer a planned visit to Raiatea next week because of the territory's political crisis.

Tea Hirshon says the letter is printed in a local newspaper and reads.

FR POLY LETTER

They describe their letter as a diplomatic note, which has prompted Mr Tong Sang to say the two lack the powers to conduct foreign policy.

Amid the acrimony and uncertainty, Mr Tong Sang has called for a public rally against the moves that destabilised and removed his government.

But critics say such a rally will only add to the instability and uncertainty.