Tahiti government uneasy about Elysee Accord concerns

10:50 am on 10 July 2017

The French Polynesian government has expressed regret that the opposition pro-independence side and the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party rejected the text of the Elysee Accord.

Polynesian Leaders Group in Tahiti

Edouard Fritch Photo: Supplied

The text had been drawn up earlier this year and signed by the French Polynesian president Edouard Fritch and the former French president Francois Hollande to consolidate their relationship and to redefine ties between the two sides.

In last week's assembly sitting in Tahiti, only the ruling coalition's 31 members approved it while 26 opposed it in a session marred by tumultuous scenes, with one member standing on his desk to express his disapproval.

The government issued a statement to highlight the achievement of at last recognising the nuclear test legacy, adding that the Accord's principles and details had been approved by the new French administration of Emmanuel Macron.

But on local radio, an opposition member noted that the new French leadership has made no mention of the Elysee Accord.

And Tahoeraa member said the text undermined the gains made under autonomy by ceding decision-making powers to Paris.

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