Elections officials told to be apolitical when dealing with issues

Elections officials from around Fiji and the Pacific have been told to be apolitical when dealing with issues.

Attorney General and Minister for Elections, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum told participants in a Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections or BRIDGE workshop this morning to always deal with the Judiciary, Elections office and Parliament in an apolitical manner.

He said it is important because these institutions contribute towards building democracy and strong independent institutions.

Sayed-Khaiyum is also calling on global organisations to be more attuned to things happening around the pacific.

Meanwhile, Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji, Margaret Twomey highlighted the need for investment in election staff.

She said this is essential for elections to be robust and credible.

BRIDGE is organized by five overseas leading organisations in the democracy and governance field.

It has been implemented in 93 countries around the world and 18,000 people have been trained under the programme.