Jacqui Drollet elected French Polynesia Assembly Speaker

*****

 

Jacqui Drollet elected French Polynesia Assembly Speaker

 

Tahiti Presse

Jacqui Drollet, from (President) Oscar Temaru's UPLD party, was elected speaker of the 57-seat French Polynesia Assembly Thursday by 29 votes.

The two other candidates were Gaston Flosse, leader of the pro-autonomy Tahoeraa Huiraatira party, and Georges Handerson, also from Temaru's UPLD.

Flosse only obtained 11 votes. He planned to have more votes from the pro-autonomy parties. After the vote, he criticized Gaston Tong Sang, leader of the pro-autonomy To Tatou Ai'a party.

Flosse claimed Tong Sang should have supported him for this election. Pro-autonomy parties should be united, Flosse added.

But Tong Sang replied a few minutes later that Flosse himself was responsible for the lack of unity between pro-autonomy parties.

The other candidate, Georges Handerson, said he did not see any reason why there should be only one UPLD candidate.

Handerson only obtained four votes. He did not say however if he will stay in Temaru's UPLD in the future.