Fijian elections within two years

Some good news from Brussels regarding Fiji. The EU has managed to get ((along with Pacific states) an agreement with Fiji to hold elections within two years, in exchange for continuing to buy their sugar. This means elections some 12 to 18 months earlier than would otherwise have been the case.

Whether the Commodore will keep his word is another matter, but let us hope so. And let us hope he starts to think about whether he wants to be a politician or a solider – for he should not be allowed to continue to be both. Also one will need to make sure the Fijian media are allowed to report fairly on any election, but if they do try to censor them, well the blogs are always there!

The key points to which Fiji has agreed are:

* fair and free parliamentary elections within 24 months of 1 March 2007
* elections to be audited by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
* a schedule for the election to be published by 30 June 2007
* that changes to boundaries and electoral reform should be done in accordance with the Constitution (we need such an agreement for NZ!!)
* That the appointment of the Vice-President shall be done in accordance with the Constitution
* respect institutions like Great Council of Chiefs and an independent judiciary
* pledges about freedom of media

As I said, let’s hope Fiji and the Commodore stick to their word.

UPDATE: I have not linked to an online source for this as I got my info via e-mail from one of the diplomats involved. The agreement may not have yet been signed off by the Commodore but was agreed to by the Fijian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General.