French Polynesia's veteran politician, Gaston Flosse, says his party won't nominate him for the presidency, if talks with possible defectors eventually leads to the fall of the current government.
Mr Flosse, who lost power after a no-confidence in February last year, has held talks with four former members of his Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party whose defection to the ruling coalition has given President Oscar Temaru a majority.
The four have been in talks with the Tahoeraa leaders and Mr Flosse says the party has agreed to their demands to make Gaston Tong Sang the presidential candidate should they leave the Temaru camp.
He says the four wouldn't accept him or his son-in-law, Edouard Fritch, as president.
Mr Flosse says as long as the four haven't resigned there can be no talk of filing a motion of no-confidence.
Mr Tong Sang, who is also the mayor of Bora Bora, was the Tahoeraa's presidential candidate in the election in March last year when he was defeated by Oscar Temaru by 29 to 26 votes.
