11 Apr 2006

Fiji's ruling party denies it has tampered with voter registrations

8:17 pm on 11 April 2006

Fiji's ruling party has dismissed claims that it tampered with the voter registration process ahead of the general election.

A minor opposition party - the United People's Party - claims that enumerators are registering minority groups as indigenous Fijians.

The party's leader says this could impact on the results for the communal and open seats.

But the SDL's campaign manager, Jale Baba, says the only party under suspicion for election bribery is the Labour party.

"The only party that is being investigated for trying to bribe enumerators to have people registered elsewhere is the Labour party, where they tried to bribe enumerators out of an adjoining open seat to be registered in Mr Chaudry's seat in the Ba open."

Mr Baba also rejected claims by Mr Beddoes that the government is donating houses, boats and farm equipment to voters under the guise of it being part of their 2006 budget for rural development.