18 Feb 2013

Naming of Fiji Constituent Assembly waiting on political party registration process

2:36 pm on 18 February 2013

Fiji's interim Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, will wait until he has been advised which existing political parties have been successfully re-registered before announcing the members of the Constituent Assembly.

The Assembly is to review and approve a draft constitution which, by decree, has to be finalised by the third week of March.

The regime is yet to release its own draft after it dumped the version drawn up by its own Constitution Commission.

Last week political parties had to re-register under stiff new requirements and it is believed at least two parties' applications are now being reviewed by the Register of Political Parties.

The regime says parties that are successfully registered will be invited to the Constituent Assembly.

But the regime's ministry of information says Commodore Bainimarama is concerned at claims of fraud surrounding the registration of party members.

Each party has to prove it has at least five thousand financial members.