French Polynesia's assembly president Marcel Tuihani has been rebuked by France's ruling party for seeking a meeting with one of its top leaders in France.
Mr Tuihani, who is launching his own party in January, reportedly sought a meeting in Paris with Christophe Castaner who is the parliamentary leader of Emmanuel Macron's En Marche Party.
But the Tahiti branch of En Marche issued a statement, saying since the party's landslide victory in June opportunists are being counted by the millions.
It said recently Mr Tuihani expressed his contempt for En Marche, adding that he had been a top Tahoeraa Huiraatira politician backing the extreme right in France's presidential election.
The Tahoeraa leader Gaston Flosse urged the public to vote for Marine Le Pen.
En Marche said the deep convictions of the opportunists have little value as not to say none.
Mr Tuihani quit the Tahoeraa in June and announced this month that he would launch his own party in January.
En Marche has a chapter in Tahiti but no party or candidates for next April's territorial election.