French Polynesia's president Edouard Fritch has ruled out a televised pre-election debate with his predecessor Gaston Flosse.
Flosse, who is barred from public office until 2019, challenged Mr Fritch to a debate in two open letters last week.
Open letter to Gaston Flosse Photo: Tapura Huiraatira
Mr Fritch in turn has written an open letter to Flosse, saying he found out through the press that Flosse was ineligible to stand because of a corruption conviction.
He went on to say he saw no point in debating with someone who wasn't a candidate.
Mr Fritch said he would be happy to debate with Geffry Salmon who is now the top candidate of Flosse's Tahoeraa Huiraatira party.
Mr Fritch, who is Flosse's former son-in-law, succeeded Flosse as president in 2014, and since then the two have fallen out, with Mr Fritch forming a new party for the April election.
Edouard Fritch and Gaston Flosse during 2013 election campaign Photo: RNZI Walter Zweifel
In the last election in 2013, Flosse's Tahoeraa won two thirds of all assembly seats but it has since lost more than half of them because of the rifts.
