25 Apr 2014

McCully still positive about Fiji election

4:51 pm on 25 April 2014

The New Zealand foreign minister, Murray McCully, has again expressed his confidence that Fiji's election promised for September will be free and fair, dismissing concerns by the parties ousted in the 2006 military coup.

Speaking in Samoa, Mr McCully says whatever the result, the New Zealand government will accept the outcome of the election.

This comes after the Fiji Labour Party accused New Zealand and Australia of abandoning Fiji parties by pursuing an election at any cost.

Citing the Electoral Decree that could protect vote-riggers, the Labour president, Lavinia Padarath, says New Zealand and Australia are getting behind a flawed process without any regard as to whether it's free and fair.

The United Front for a Democratic Fiji Union says things on the ground are not fine, things are not free, things are not fair and it appears everybody except the New Zealand and Australian governments seems to know it.

Four parties have been registered so far while the regime leader, Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama, has said he will register his movement within weeks.