20 Feb 2013

Union leader says Fiji needs international observers now

11:18 am on 20 February 2013

The National Secretary of the Fiji Trades Union Congress, Felix Anthony, says international observers should come to Fiji now and not wait for elections next year.

Mr Anthony was reacting to the Fiji interim government's latest amendments to the Political Parties Decree, which he says further deny people their rights.

Mr Anthony says if the United Nations and the international community were thinking of coming to observe the democratic process, now is the time.

"At the rate we're going, there will be many people excluded from the elections. We may only have one or two political parties who will be able to contest the elections and the elections would be unfair and would not be free even before we start."