Neu: 2002-04-22 Contents of this issue:
1. Wobbly Party? ======================================================================== April 22nd, 2002 1. Wobbly Party?: The return of the Niue Peoples Party to power following the general election on Niue during the weekend looks shaky, say political commentators on the island. Behind the scenes lobbying indicates the Alliance of Independents and a separate group of independents headed by top poller Toke Talagi are likely to form a coalition to oust the NPP. That could put Toke Talagi in as the tiny nation's leader. Alliance of Independents spokesperson Mrs O'Love Jacobsen said the team met yesterday and has adopted a strategy to overthrow the NPP with the help of Mr Talagi's group.The coalition is targetting a total of 11. "The Alliance of Independents will have a watchdog role if there is a new government and at this stage I cannot see any of our team involved in a new Cabinet. Our country is in a state of decline and we want to get it up and running," said Mrs Jacobsen who confirmed she's meeting with Mr Talagi today to discuss a possible coalition. Mrs Jacobsen said she would not be running for Premier. However a confident Mr Sani Lakatani is sure of being re-elected to the country's top job following Saturday's polling. He said the same people got returned and it was almost a waste of time having the election. He's told Radio New Zealand International the Niue Peoples Party has eight backers in the Assembly and lobbying is now underway to get a majority. __END__
