The president of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse, says he has not ruled out standing again for President, despite a key court ruling going against him.
France's highest court, the council of state, rejected an appeal by President Flosse against a decision of the territory's parliament which saw him lose control of its key nine-member executive.
That is a further bad sign for Mr Flosse, with parliament due to vote on Friday to elect a new president, widely expected to be the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru, who has the numbers to get the job.
Mr Flosse surprised observers by not putting his name forward as a candidate for Friday's election.
However, a spokesman for Mr Flosse says they are waiting until they hear the result of another appeal today, against the legality of parliament's decision to hold the vote on Friday.
The spokesman, Yves Haupert, says it would have been illogical to stand for president while the legality of the process is in doubt.
He says Mr Flosse has definitely NOT ruled out his candidacy.
