Regime accused of stalling polls

Update: 1:34PM The US State Department believes that since committing to an election next year in March, Fijis interim Government has continuously looked for ways to slow progress towards elections. In a statement today, US accused the interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama of deliberately slowing a return to democracy. "An admission from Fiji's self-appointed Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama that elections due next year would not go ahead went back on a "clear promise" made last year," the statement said. The department cited Fiji's decision to suspend participation in a regional working group designed to assist the return to democracy as evidence the interim Government was delaying promised elections. "We believe Fiji's Electoral Commission is fully capable of organising and holding a national election, and... [read full story]