Bainimarama told Fiji Village he cannot say at this stage whether elections will be held late next year after the electoral reforms are in place.
He was also asked if he feels that elections should or may be held in 2010. He said he cannot confirm anything.
Bainimarama said the next elections will be held under a new electoral system. He said despite comments being made about the legality of the reforms, the interim government is determined to scrap the race based electoral system.
Fiji’s military-led government may remain in power for at least four years due to the delay in electoral reforms, according to Fiji Live.
And some of the blame for Fiji’s early return to democratic rule since the Dec. 2006 military takeover has been put on its larger international neighbors.
Bainimarama said opposition to the interim government and delay in assistance sought from the Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations is hindering Fiji’s progress.
A statement from the prime minister’s office confirmed that Bainimarama and his Fiji delegation raised the issue again in consultations with a number of bilateral and multilateral development partners early this week.
The U.N. and Commonwealth, which have been asked to facilitate the political dialogue forum by Fiji President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, have yet to respond.
Bainimarama said the “long delay” in getting the Forum underway is a concern.
The Forum, which would bring together all key stakeholders, including all registered political parties, may need several meetings before reaching a broad consensus on changes to the electoral system, if at all.
According to the Electoral Commission and the Elections Office in Fiji, it will take between 12 to 15 months to hold an election from the time the new electoral system is decided.
