Territorial assembly

Tahiti

to be dissolved?

THERE are expectations in French Polynesia that the central gov ernment may dissolve the territorial assembly. This follows a con tinuing rift between the ruling party and the opposition which liave been gathering in the assembly separately.

For a month, government MP’s have heeded only calls by the assembly’s vice-president, Milou Ebb, to attend sittings while opposition MP’s have been attending parliament only if the ses sion was called by the assembly’s president, opposition leader

Jean Juventin.

The existence of two parallel assemblies has created as unprece dented institutional crisis. The French Polynesian president, Gaston Flosse, has called for an end to what he calls a circus. The assembly can onlu be dissolved by the central government in Paris.