Fiji braces for final count as election integrity questioned

December 16, 2022

It’s what officials call a technical glitch, as two former coup leaders go head-to-head. (Source: 1News)

Questions are being raised over the integrity of the electoral system as Fiji braces to hear by Sunday who will make the new government.

Opposition parties are calling for the count to stop and the electoral system to be urgently investigated, alleging irregularities with voting data.

"The entire system is stacked against the opposition and everybody knows that," says Fiji opposition leader Biman Prasad.

International observers are present and Mohammed Saneem, Fiji's supervisor of elections, is dismissing the complaints, accusing the opposition of misleading the public.

"Conspiracy theories have gone to an extent that now we have political leaders coming up and asking for intervention in the electoral process," Saneem says.

Another problem for this election has been a low voter turnout, believed to be the worst in a decade. An hour before polls closed only half of eligible Fijians had cast their vote.

The two biggest parties contesting the elections are headed by current Prime Minister, Fiji First's Frank Bainimarama, and People's Alliance's Sitiveni Rabuka.

Bainimarama and Rabuka are both former coup leaders but both have promised to abide by the final results.

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