Fiji leader vows to respect 2009 election results
17/10/2007 16:22
Fiji is to hold elections in early 2009, and the army would accept the
outcome, Interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said today in
Tonga.
Bainimarama also promised to stick to that timeframe without
condition.
He said that all the groundwork has been done and his interim
government is progressing towards the March, 2009 poll.
Bainimarama, also
army chief, said this during leaders' retreat of 38th Pacific Islands Forum in
Vava'u, a small isle of Tonga.
At a joint press conference, Australian
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and
Tongan Prime Minister Fred Sevele took it as a positive step.
Clark said
Bainimarama's undertakings were "a very good outcome for the forum."
"The
leaders would not have settled for anything less than an absolute acceptance of
the timetable for no later than the first quarter of 2009," said
Clark.
Fiji's interim government had previously told the European Union to
conduct elections by 2009, but the military said later on that the interim
government will take as much time as it needs to ensure a safe and proper return
to democracy.
The European Union, Australia and New Zealand have pressured
the Pacific nation to hold elections earlier to show Fiji was moving towards
rebuilding itself and returning to democratic rule.
Xinhua
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