A senior French Polynesian politician Nuihau Laurey has quit the ruling Tapura Huiraatira party as foreshadowed last month.
Nuihau Laurey Photo: supplied FB
Mr Laurey, who is a French senator and French Polynesia's former finance minister, said he would remain in the territorial assembly but sit as an independent. He also keeps his seat in the French Senate.
In mid-May Mr Laurey was involved in a public spat with the president Edouard Fritch over the management of the Covid-19 outbreak, urging him to take out a loan in the order of $US600 million to deal with what he called a brutal, deep and systemic crisis.
In his resignation letter, he accused Mr Fritch of contributing to the worsening of the economic and social crisis with unsuitable choices, incoherence and non-decisions.
Mr Laurey is the second Tapura politician with a seat in the French legislature to become an independent in the assembly in the past six month.
Despite his resignation the Tapura retains a vast majority in the assembly, controlling almost two thirds of all seats.