New Caledonia faces the prospect of a third election for a new President.
Stalemate was reached yesterday when neither of the two nominees, who were both from anti-independence parties, gained the required number of votes, after the three pro-independence government members abstained.
Since then, negotiations have been ongoing between the Rassemblement and Future Together parties to strike a deal.
If no agreement is reached by next Tuesday, the government, Congress and Territorial Assemblies may be dissolved and new elections held.
Didier Leroux from the Future Together party says it's imperative that a deal is struck.
"It has to explore all the ways to strike a deal because the voters are not responsible for the situation. The RPCR is responsible for the blockage of the government beacuse they have resigned from the present government. And I might recall that the present government had elected a president and a vice-president"
