Flosse in fresh bid to register as Tahiti voter

8:44 am on 5 February 2020

French Polynesia's veteran politician Gaston Flosse has made a fresh bid to register as a voter in Papeete.

Veteran French Polynesian politician, Gaston Flosse.

Veteran French Polynesian politician, Gaston Flosse. Photo: RNZ Pacific

It comes as the rejection of an application he made last year is being challenged in France's highest court.

Flosse, 88, wants to make a comeback in next month's municipal elections but his registration has twice been rejected, with officials saying he failed to meet the residency requirements.

He told local media he's lived in a small apartment within his Tahoeraa Huiraatira party's Papeete offices for six months, and he hopes his latest application meets requirements.

The electoral commission had doubted his permanent residence was a 15 square metre unit.

For 35 years, until 2000, Flosse was mayor of Pirae which is now run by his erstwhile deputy and now president of French Polynesia Edouard Fritch.

He had been banned from public office for five years because of two corruption convictions, but he plans to make his political comeback this year.

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