Campaigning is about to end in the French Pacific for this weekend's second round in the election of a new French National Assembly.
Based on the first round results, the French Socialists risk winning none of the six seats at stake in the Pacific, in contrast to the swing towards them in France and other overseas territories.
Walter Zweifel reports.
"France's centre-right UMP has rekindled its ties to French Polynesia's opposition Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party of Gaston Flosse whose three candidates are all in the run-off against politicians of the pro-independence Union For Democracy. The surprise result is seen as a rejection of the territorial government's policies just as in New Caledonia, where the swing has been towards the anti-independence Caledonia Together Party that was last year squeezed out of the collegial government. The shift in sentiment in New Caledonia is tied to the uncertainties of the decolonisation process and the vexing question whether the territory should settle for the joint use of the French and Kanak flags as symbol of a new identity. The weekend vote is viewed as a referendum on the Rassemblement-UMP which held the Paris seats for more than a quarter of a century."
