Fiji given until May 1 to announce election date
Updated
Pacific leaders have given the interim leader of Fiji, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, until the May the first to nominate a new date for democratic elections or face suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum.
Presenter: Myra Mortensen
Speaker: Firmin Nanol, Radio Australia's PNG correspondent
NANOL: Pacific Island forum leaders agreed that the Fijian interim government should nominate an election date by the 1st of May, 2009 and that elections be held at the end of December, 2009 and they have also asked the military to withdraw from civilian politics, following such an election and return to the barracks and should submit to the authority of the elected government in accordance with the laws of Fiji. Failing that, they said that they will call on the international community, like the Commonwealth and the United Nations to impose tougher measures and penalties on the interim government. They said in considering the time line that the Commodore Bainimarama himself gave that, he should be able to announce the elections by March. They want him to announce a set timetable, agreed timetable and also to undertake and make clear commitment to the office of the supervisor of elections that he will be able to hold elections and elections should be held by December, 2009. And they also said that the forum leaders also made a commitment that the member countries should be able to help Fiji hold the elections in the event that a time line is set.
MORTENSEN: What was the reaction of Commodore Bainimarama's representative at the meeting? The interim attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum?
NANOL: The chair of the forum and the premier of Niue, Toke Talagi, mentioned that he was quite quiet in the meeting and he was also of the view that he will be able to pass these onto the interim prime minister that these are the communiques that were relayed by the secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and that he will be able to take back those declarations and the decisions the leaders have come up with. But the initial statement, he said before Khaiyum attended the forum leaders retreat. He told the media that the long term issue in Fiji for electoral reform and changes, that might take awhile. But the leaders imposed that if, regardless of that, they would help Fiji to make changes to these electoral processes, but these time lines must be set.
MORTENSEN: Firmin, did you get any feeling that they were optimistic that Commodore Bainimarama would accept their communique?
NANOL: I did ask the question that the actions that the Commodore is doing by suspending leaders and recalling his high commissioners and special envoys so like to embassies, what do you think and he said we can't speculate on that one, that's what Toke Talagi the premier and the chair of Niue. But I also asked him what will happen after. They would not be able to do anything unless ask the in the international community like the United Nations and the Commonwealth to help out. They said this is the contribution of the forum and if they wished that the commodore should accept and follow the decision of the forum. But they are not really optimistic, but they are hopeful.
MORTENSEN: Firmin, was there any indication that there might be a follow up meeting as predicted by the interim Attorney-General, the other day?
NANOL: There isn't any likely follow up meeting that is going to come up, until the outcome of these communique they are going to deliver. They did not declare in the communique whether they would be able to give Commodore Bainimarama another chance or time to talk to them face-to-face. But this is what they imposed on him to come up with the deadline for an election and return to democratic rule.
