25 Nov 2005

Speaker elected in Wallis and Futuna

10:16 am on 25 November 2005

Reports from Wallis and Futuna say Emeni Simete has been elected as speaker of the territorial assembly.

RFO television reports Mr Simete was elected with the support of members of the UMP party, which is in government in metropolitan France.

The territory's French administrator, Xavier de Furst, says the economy's not doing well, with 10 per cent of people having left the private sector n the last two years.

Wallis Island has recently been divided by unrest between chiefly clans.