A scholar of Fiji politics says the military's assurance that it will accept the results of next year's election could instead spread anxiety.
The military's chief of staff, Colonel Jone Kalouniwai, said the military learned from past mistakes and would accept the results, no matter what outcome.
But Canterbury University's Steven Ratuva said similar assurances had been made before previous coups.
The head of the MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at New Zealand's Canterbury University, Steven Ratuva. Photo: Supplied/Steven Ratuva
He also said the military hadn't refrained from talking about politics, recently speaking out against statements from opposition parties as well as the Methodist Church.
Professor Ratuva said that by commenting on political issues it is securitising the political debate.
"I'm not suggesting that there might be military interference in terms of the political process up until the election, but all I'm suggesting is that in people's minds, it creates that confusion because they know very well that such assurances did not work in the past," he said.
