5 Jul 2012

Tahiti opposition against election deferral call

12:06 pm on 5 July 2012

The French Polynesian opposition has used a meeting with the new French overseas territories minister in Paris to call for the election timeline to be maintained.

The four members of the opposition Tahoeraa Huiraatira representing French Polynesia in the French legislature raised the issue with Victorin Lurel.

This comes after French Polynesia's president Oscar Temaru broached the subject with Mr Lurel in earlier talks, suggesting the territorial election be deferred by half a year to August 2013.

The opposition has also spoken out against calls to change the electoral system which was modified last year in what was the fourth system brought in by Paris in eight years in a bid to increase political stability.

After the last election in 2008, the government fell in a no-confidence vote less than two months into its five-year term.