Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Fiji’s NFP says Forum 2009 election deadline achievable

Posted at 04:45 on 10 February, 2009 UTC

Fiji’s National Federation Party says it told a visiting United Nations/Commonwealth team that the May deadline for an election date set by the Pacific Islands Forum should be achievable.

The team is meeting with political parties, stakeholders and the interim government on the Proposed President’s Forum.

The Party’s general secretary, Pramod Rae, says he is concerned about recent pronouncements from the interim prime minister that if the people’s charter is not accepted, he will rule for the next 5-10 years.

“We have made submissions to the joint team here that they perhaps ought to impress on the interim regime that these kind of signals don’t help the process, they will be impediments to a successful outcome if that is the attitude that the interim regime is going to bring to this dialogue.”

Pramod Rae says Fiji’s people are sick of uncertainty, so it is incumbent on the interim regime to commit to a return to parliamentary democracy.