Pacific

French Polynesia's Temaru presents new government

03:57 am on 20 September 2007

The new French Polynesian president, Oscar Temaru, has presented a 16-member government after he was re-elected last week.

Mr Temaru made Antony Geros his deputy and finance minister while Jacqui Drollet was appointed telecommunications and culture minister.

Two of the 16 ministers are women and nine of them are from the assembly which means nine new assembly members have been drawn from the top of the party list.

The line-up doesn't include any members of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party which had reportedly been invited to join in a broad coalition after some of its members helped vote out Gaston Tong Sang who also is a Tahoeraa member.

It's the third time Mr Temaru has been elected president although a challenge to his latest election is pending in the French supreme court.

Mr Temaru says he wants to stay in power beyond the 2008 municipal election while the French government has said it wants to organise fresh general elections under a new electoral system as soon as possible.