Political parties make submission to Electoral Commission

Five political parties have made a submission to the Electoral Commission on a proposal for Electoral Reform to facilitate a free and fair election in Fiji.

In a press conference, Leader of the National Federation Party Professor Biman Prasad says they have submitted this recommendation to the Electoral Commission on the 14th of May.

Prasad says the 121 recommendations provided is a joint proposal by SODELPA, NFP, the People’s Democratic Party, the Fiji Labour Party and the Fiji United Freedom Party.

The recommendations include that the Electoral Commission engage an independent legal advisor and not the Solicitor General appointed by the Commission.

Other recommendations made by the five political parties calls for the resignation of the Supervisor of Elections for disobeying the directive of the Electoral Commission prior to the 2014 election.

They also want the media to give all political parties free spots for political advertising as a community service.

The five parties also want the Political Parties Registration Act on party donations to be reviewed.

They also want the Media Decree to be repealed as an essential condition for the holding of a genuinely free and fair election next year.

The parties also want MIDA to be abolished as strongly recommended by seven UN Human Rights Council members, and that an accountable media regulatory body to be formed after public consultation building on the former Fiji Media Council that existed before.

Any repealing of laws has to be done under the parliamentary system, not by the Electoral Commission.

The five parties also want that once the writ of elections is issued, all timelines must be announced to the nation.

The recommendations also state that cabinet members should resign from their position once the writ is issued, and that government should be run by Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments for the duration of the electoral process.

The Electoral Commission has assured the five political parties that they will respond later this month after reviewing the Fiji Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014 and the 2014 Final Report of the Multinational - Observer Group.

Professor Biman Prasad, NFP President Pio Tikoduadua, the Leader of the Fiji United Freedom Party Jagath Karunaratne, PDP President Lynda Tabuya, President of Fiji Labour Party Lavenia Padarath, and SODELPA executive Anare Jale were present at the press conference.