23 Jun 2017

Fiji's opposition parties launch new electoral laws campaign

From Pacific Waves, 3:04 pm on 23 June 2017

Fiji's opposition parties have launched a campaign to get new electoral laws in place to ensure free and fair elections.

The five opposition parties are gearing up to fight the polls next year and are concerned time is running out for a raft of changes they want.

The 2014 election was deemed to be credible and broadly representative of the people, but observers didn't use the term free and fair.

The leader of the Fiji United Freedom Party Jagath Karunaratne explained to Sally Round what has prompted their action now after talks with the Electoral Commission.

Voters queue at John Wesley College in Fiji Photo: RNZ / Philippa Tolley

Transcript

JAGATH KARUNARATNE: There's two things clearly coming out of the Electoral Commission. One is that they are saying that they will follow the law as is, and they will not make any recommendations and they will not go beyond that. Number two that they are telling us is to say that if you want any changes to the laws, you should go to the Parliament, and this is not our duty. So these two things are coming out very clearly from the Electoral Commission. What we are saying, as per the constitution, the Electoral Commission has a responsibility to ensure free and fair elections. If any law or any process that they feel that it is hindering achieving free and fair elections, then it is their responsibility to take it further - to the parliament, to the government or the minister responsible.

SALLY ROUND: You're doing this in light of the MOG Report, that is the report of the election observers who made several recommendations.

JK: That is one of the reports, that Multinational Observer Group report, and the other is the Electoral Commission's Annual Report 2014. And that has also very clearly outlined certain things; you know they were starved of the resources, and they did not have independent legal services, and the supervisor of elections was acting independent to the Electoral Commission and things like that was raised in the Electoral Commission annual report itself.

SR: The Electoral Commission is saying 'no, the law is as it stands'. Why do you think a campaign is going to change anything?

JK: We believe that it is our responsibility to start a campaign and this information must go to the public as well. People need to understand what's going on, how it's happening, what are the problems political parties are facing, and most of all the public needs to have the trust and faith in the electoral system and the processes. That's why we are starting this campaign, to take it to the people. We are willing to work with all stakeholders including the commission. We are trying to tell them that we are not against each other. Don't look at the opposition side, we need to get to a round-table and make sure that these things will definitely happen and then people will have trust and faith in the whole.