22 Feb 2005

French Polynesia's UPLD confirms Oscar Temaru as presidential candidate

7:16 am on 22 February 2005

The French Polynesian political list, the Union for Democracy, has confirmed that its leader, Oscar Temaru, will be its candidate for the assembly's presidential election.

The union's spokesman, Jacqui Drollet, says Mr Temaru is the natural candidate for the election on February the 28th.

The government of Gaston Flosse fell in a vote of no-confidence last week.

The president of French Polynesia needs 29 votes out of an available 57 in the territorial assembly.

After a by-election on the most populated island group last week, the Union for Democracy has 28 seats.

If forty per cent of the assembly members decide to stay away from the vote, the election will be postponed for lack of a quorum and held three days later.

Mr Drollet says the list members will meet this week at Mahina on the west coast of Tahiti to examine the pros and cons of the coalition's four months in power last year.