Fiji Electoral Commission must question Bainimarama: Chaudhry

Transcript

The Fiji Labour Party says the Electoral Commission should question Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama for flouting the law around political parties.

This comes following more revelations about his election plans.

Sally Round reports.

Rear Admiral Bainimarama has been keeping mum on the detail of his political party since announcing his plans to stand for election nearly a year ago. Then he said the party would be made up of members of the current government and that he was confident of winning at the polls scheduled to take place before the end of September.

According to Fiji media reports, Rear Admiral Bainimarama has now revealed during visits to villages in Lau that his current Minister of Women's Affairs and Social Welfare, Jiko Luveni, would join his as yet unregistered and unnamed party. Fiji's Minister of Health Neil Sharma has also hinted he may join.

NEIL SHARMA: Well it's a little bit up in the air at this stage but you know things need to be consolidated and you know we need to move ahead so let's see how things go and see what the terms and conditions are, and you know, what's on offer, but it's distinctly possible.

But the Labour Party's leader Mahendra Chaudhry says announcing a party candidate puts the prime minister in contravention of the Political Parties Decree. The decree imposes a fine of up to US$27,000 and a jail term of up to five years if an association of persons or an organisation operates or holds itself out to be a political party unless it has been registered as one. The law is vague though on rules for independent candidates.

Mr Chaudhry says the party would like to see the regime leader register his political party as required by the law before he campaigns further.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: He hasn't got a political party as yet therefore he cannot engage in active campaigning and engage in political activities. It is a contravention of the Political Parties Decree and I think the authorities here should take action in the matter particularly the Electoral Commission should question the announcement  and question the conduct of Bainimarama.

Mr Chaudhry's Labour Party is one of four registered parties in Fiji which have to show a membership of 5,000 across the country and reveal their officers' financial assets. He says he plans to raise the issue with the Electoral Commission which is responsible for enforcing compliance with the law governing elections and political parties.

The commission's chairman has so far been unavailable for comment.

The Political Parties Decree also imposes stiff fines and a jail term on the media for reporting on aspiring political parties unless they're registered and questions have arisen over whether recent reporting of the prime minister's political plans could also contravene the law. But the Fiji body responsible for policing the country's media the Media Industry Development Authority has refused to answer questions about whether the media might be prosecuted.

The Fiji government has not responded to a request for comment.