Pacific

Fiji politicians regret lack of consultation

16:28 pm on 10 January 2014

The Fiji political grouping, the United Front for a Democratic Fiji, says it is a pity the Government did not consult political parties before appointing the electoral commissioners.

The government has announced a seven-member Electoral Commission to supervise the elections promised for September.

The group says that is a positive first step towards credible elections but the regime missed the opportunity to act in a bipartisan manner by taking recommendations from political parties.

It says consulting other parties would have been in line with best constitutional and democratic practice.

Instead, the group says the appointees have been handpicked by the interim Prime Minister and the minister in charge of elections, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

The United Front for a Democratic Fiji is made of the parties ousted from parliament when the military carried out its last coup.