11 May 2006

Five Fiji Labour supporters face charges after election protest

8:23 pm on 11 May 2006

Five Fiji Labour Party supporters, who staged a demonstration today because they couldn't vote, have been arrested.

Radio Fiji reports that the five staged the demonstration in Ba after they were denied the right to vote because their names did not appear on the electoral rolls.

The demonstrators carried placards calling for the removal of the supervisor of elections, Semesa Karavaki.

One of the organisers had been quoted earlier saying the protest would be about the failure to conduct free and fair elections as a result of missing names, racial practices at polling booths, and the chaos experienced in the election.

All five were charged with illegal assembly and appeared in the Ba Magistrates Court.

They have denied the charge and been remanded to appear in court again on 22nd June.