Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry says there is no way the general elections can be held this year.He said given the time needed to prepare and addressing issues in the electoral reform, elections were impossible. Chaudhry said this had been made known to the international community.
He said it was therefore vital to proceed quickly to the President’s Political Dialogue Forum (PPDF) which would consider issues revolving around holding elections and the return of an elected parliament. He said the UN and Commonwealth had talked with political parties, a mediator for the PPDF had been named. This showed Fiji was working progressively towards democracy. Asked if the FLP would support changes in the Constitution, Chaudhry said this was where the PPDF was necessary as all parties concerned needed to reach an amicable agreement on what changes, if any, were to be made to the Constitution.
With regards to fears of suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum, Chaudhry said all parties, locally and abroad, needed to hold more dialogue and be more understanding of each other's position. He said suspension could be avoided with more understanding on both sides. This was why it was important that the PPDF convened as soon as possible. Condensed from FijiLive. [Later in the week I shall post extracts from the Office of the Supervisor of Elections' White Paper that show it is indeed technically impossible to hold an election by December.]
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