20 Nov 2008

Fiji Forum group discusses proposed changes as Fiji polls remain off

4:32 pm on 20 November 2008

Constitutional questions were at the forefront of today's discussions of the Pacific Islands Forum Joint Working Group on the Situation in Fiji in Suva.

The Group members asked how the interim Fiji Government would conduct electoral reform, and discussed the need for this to be done legally, within the Constitution.

It was told by Fiji that any constitutional change would be determined through the political dialogue process.

The Fiji interim Government also presented a paper detailing reasons why Fiji would not be able to hold elections by March despite the early commitment by its leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama.

The Group is considering the request from the Commodore for support for the planned dialogue process.