6 Dec 2004

Ousted French Polynesian President plans to call for international observers at by-election

7:27 am on 6 December 2004

The ousted French Polynesian president, Oscar Temaru, says he is about to ask for international observers to be sent for a by-election due in February.

37 of the assembly's 57 seats are empty since last month when the French supreme court acted on a complaint by his rival, Gaston Flosse, and annulled the result of the May general election in the Tahiti/Moorea constituency.

Walter Zweifel reports.

"As questions remain about how France failed to organise a valid general election, Mr Temaru now wants to ask the French legislature, the European Union and the Pacific Islands Forum to send monitors for the by-election. Along with his coalition partners he has concluded that France won't allow territory-wide elections despite weeks of protests, petitions and top-level talks in Paris. He has repeated that all occupations of public buildings should end and campaigning begin in a bid to defeat Mr Flosse for a second time in nine months. I'm Walter Zweifel"