The French Polynesian president, Gaston Flosse, has named a replacement for Jean Christophe Buissou who resigned from all his portfolios yesterday following disagreements after the weekend election setback.
Bruno Sandras will take over Mr Bouissou's five portfolios and has become the government's spokesman - a day before the government faces a motion of no confidence.
Walter Zweifel reports
"The resignation of Mr Bouissou is a blow to Mr Flosse's Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party and may provoke the collapse of the Flosse government. In an immediate reply to Mr Bouissou, Mr Flosse said a government meeting has to be held to prepare a joint statement to resign. The Tahoeraa central committee will meet this afternoon after a cabinet meeting while Mr Buissou has called a media conference to explain in detail his decision to quit the government. Tomorrow's debate of the no confidence motion brought by the Union For Democracy may yet be cancelled as speculation mounts that Mr Flosse will resign before the end of the day."