French Polynesia's vice president Teva Rohfritsch has resigned for the second time in less than half a year.
Teva Rohfritsch Photo: supplied
Rohfritsch said he quit to concentrate on his campaign to win a seat in the French Senate at the end of this month.
He resigned in March after failing to be elected mayor of Punaauia but the president Edouard Fritch refused to accept his resignation.
Rohfritsch is running with the incumbent Lana Tetuanui for the territory's two French Senate seats on a ticket of the ruling Tapura Huiraatira party.
The two senators will be chosen for a six-year term by a 728-strong electoral college made up of mainly municipal representatives.
The outcome of the last regular Senate election in French Polynesia in 2014 was annulled after the courts found that a march of supporters of the then dominant Tahoeraa Huiraatira to the polling station on election day amounted to undue pressure on the electoral college.
In the subsequent election a year later, two new candidates, Tetuanui and Nuihau Laurey were chosen.
Laurey, who has fallen out with the Tapura, is also seeking re-election.
Among the candidates is the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru.
The official registration period for the Senate candidacy is from Monday to Friday next week.