22 Apr 2014

Fiji Labour Party says regime decree shields vote-riggers

4:04 am on 22 April 2014

Fiji's Labour Party says there is no chance of free and fair elections under a decree that could protect vote riggers.

The party's president, Lavinia Padarath, says that Section 3 (3) of the Electoral Decree grants blanket immunity to election officials for their work or omissions.

Ms Padarath says this signifies that if vote rigging were to take place, no one could be prosecuted.

"This has been the kind of constant practice throughout, what the government does. They usually run ahead, create a section of the decree and they will be the first ones to break them. Or, in this instance, it's made to suit them."

Lavinia Padarath says the Electoral Commission and the young and inexperienced supervisor, Mohammed Saneem, appear to be accepting such provisions.