30 Oct 2018

Substandard ballot papers for Fiji's election locked up

4:34 pm on 30 October 2018

A container load of shredded ballot papers is being held under tight security until after the Fiji election.

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The ballot paper in Fiji's 2014 general election Photo: RNZ / Philippa Tolley

The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) said there were 19 and a half bales of offcuts and shredded papers that didn't meet standards and need to be discarded.

The deputy supervisor of elections Karyl Winter said a plan to recycle the material was scotched after discovery the management of Suva's only major recycling plant was politically affiliated.

Ms Winter said the container was locked and will not be opened until after the election.

She said the police supervised the shredding process and the elections office can guarantee the security arrangement at the elections office warehouse.

Ms Winter said the FEO invited all the political parties to inspect the bags before they were sealed in the container.

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