20 Apr 2007

French Polynesians rally for UMP's Sarkozy

3:27 pm on 20 April 2007

The leader of French Polynesia's Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party says his supporters plan to give Nicolas Sarkozy the best result of all French electorates in this weekend's first round of voting for a new French president.

Gaston Flosse spoke at a rally in Tahiti attended by a co-founder of Mr Sarkozy's UMP Party, Dominique Bussereau.

Mr Flosse says the vote in French Polynesia will also be a new chapter in the rivalry between the territory's pro-autonomy and pro-independence camps.

The opposition in French Polynesia, led by Oscar Temaru, supports the French Socialist candidate, Segolene Royal.

Mr Flosse says he won't be talking about Jean-Marie Le Pen who is again standing as presidential candidate after winning the second most votes in the last election only to be defeated by Jacques Chirac.

Mr Flosse says by having Oscar Temaru in the territory there is already someone in place to call for the exclusion of immigrants and to lead people to the past.