New Caledonia's pro-independence FLNKS movement has ruled out supporting politicians of the anti-independence side for the government top jobs.
The recently elected Congress is due to meet tomorrow to elect an 11-member government which in turn is due to choose a president and a vice-president.
The FLNKS flag widely used in New Caledonia Photo: RNZ Walter Zweifel
The government has to be constituted in proportion to the parties' strength in Congress, which will yield an anti-independence government majority of six.
However, the Caledonia Together party, which is to get one of the six ministries, has ruled out voting for the presidential candidate of the rival anti-independence Future with Confidence group.
If no presidential candidate can secure at least six votes, there can be no properly constituted new government and the old government will stay on in caretaker mode.
After the last election in 2014, it took months to overcome a similar stalemate caused by dissent within the anti-independence camp.