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NewsFlash: Fiji To Hold Elections In Early 2009
Frank Bainimarama - Fiji To Hold Elections In Early 2009
Reported by Selwyn Manning In Tonga Via Phone
Fijian President Commodore Frank Bainimarama has agreed for Fiji to hold Democratic Elections in the "first Quarter of 2009".
Flanked by NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark & Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer the host at the Pacific Island Forum, Forum Host & Prime Minister of Tonga Fred Sevele announced the decisions of Pacific Leaders made at their Leaders Retreat on an offshore island resort.
- Mr Sevele said Pacific Leaders had welcomed the undertakings for elections to be held in the first quarter of 2009 - and also noted that Commodore Bainimarama stated to all the Foreign Leaders that both he and the Fijian military force would respect the outcome of the election at that time.
- The leaders have called on Commodore Bainimarama to now work with a Pacific Forum joint working group to produce a credible roadmap to those elections according to the Constitutional Law of Fiji.
- The leaders also urged the interim government to accord the highest priority to this task.
- The Pacific Forum will also call a meeting in Jan 2008 when Foreign Ministers of Pacific Nations will review progress being made.
(Selwyn Manning will report in more detail on this news later today.)
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