Oceania

The country will go to the polls on 4 August 2010 to elect the country’s 9th Parliament. With election campaigns intensifying, incidents of rivalry were reported from various quarters of the country. This mostly occurs between supporters of candidates and those protesting for instance their omission from the voters’ roll.

 As anticipated, former MPs bear the brunt of much criticism and angst stemming mostly from their handling of slush funds within the last 4 years. This has intensified to the extent of certain former MPs being assaulted on the campaign trail.

In any country falling under the grip of a military regime, the judiciary is often the last refuge of hope for citizens and the oppressed. For Fiji citizens, that may no longer be the case in view of the ongoing treatment afforded to that important institution by the military regime. Repeated interference with the judiciary over successive years since 2006 is more than adequate to compromise the integrity and independence of the country’s judiciary.

The independence of the judiciary has once again come under the limelight in Fiji with sacking of 5 magistrates by the military regime on or about 19 July 2010. Carrying out their functions under bondage of the Military, the judiciary offers citizens the last refuge of hope for asserting their infringed rights.  

While polling has been peaceful throughout the country, the real drama unfolds during counting of ballots. Since the first day of country, tensions and confrontations between supporters of rival candidates have been reported across the country. Most dramatic was the counting done respectively in the provincial centres of Auki in Malaita Province, Lata in Temotu, and Tulaghi in Central Province. Flaring incidents include burning of a packed ballot box, rampaging and ransacking of winner’s shop, stoning of counting centre, and exchange of rocks between rival groups.

On polling day, 100s of voters were denied the right to vote merely because of closing time deadline currently set by law at 5pm. Complains were recorded mostly from densely populated constituencies in urban areas. The issue is attributed mainly to lack of adequate polling booths in the concerned constituencies.