A lot has been said about the European Union’s Election Observer Report of the 2006 Fiji elections, and now the EU Delegation for the Pacific issues said it is committed to continue supporting Fiji in its path to democracy.

The EU delegation stated that the EU Observation Mission in the 2006 elections identified a number of shortcomings and the delegation welcomed the Fijian government’s efforts to address the recommendations contained in the mission’s final report in preparation of the upcoming elections.

While speaking on the 2006 observer mission, it said the European Union has fielded electoral observation missions worldwide for the last two decades, providing impartial and informed assessments following a set of internationally recognized principles.

The EU delegation said beyond the assistance already provided to the constitutional review process in Fiji, the EU stands ready to provide support to help ensure a smooth electoral process leading to free, fair and transparent elections in 2014.

According to the 2006 EU report, it said that the elections were reasonably well conducted and voting and counting were generally conducted in a satisfactory and transparent manner.

However, several issues were raised in the report.

It said in breach of the Electoral Act, the Register of Voters was not updated annually for the past five years.

A new register had several shortcomings according to the report. There was also a recommendation to change the ballot boxes as the political parties complained that most of the old wooden boxes still had significant gaps beneath the lids to allow ballot papers to be inserted.

The printing of 1.7 million ballot papers was highlighted in the 2006 report although about 950,000 ballot papers were needed.

But the report stated that there were no indications of any abuse or manipulation in connection with the high number of printed ballot papers.

The report also stated that the ethnicity dominated campaign in 2006 was aggravated by the presence of 46 communal constituencies out of 71 where voters needed to vote along racial lines.

The EU report said this system encouraged candidates to introduce an ethnic dimension into their campaigning.

The report also said that the Office of the Supervisor of Elections did not provide an official explanation for a voter turnout of 101 percent in the Cakaudrove East constituency.

It also said the ballot boxes were only sealed with the usual wax seal which did not provide sufficient protection.

The EU report also said that the numbered plastic seals went missing during the process.


Story by: Vijay Narayan