Parties call for audit

POLITICAL parties concerned about what they claim were issues surrounding the 2014, 2018 and 2022 general elections have written to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka asking for an independent audit of the electoral system.

Among them are Unity Fiji, National Federation Party (NFP) and Fiji Labour Party (FLP).

Unity Fiji leader Savenaca Narube told this newspaper he had reached out to Mr Rabuka and requested, among other things, an investigation of the last three elections and an audit of the 2022 polls.

Mr Narube said the party stood by the claim taken collectively by leaders of the FLP, NFP and The People’s Alliance (PA) regarding the “glitch” in the provisional results shown on the FEO election results app on December 15 during the 2022 polls.

“The explanation by the Supervisor of Election (SoE) of the glitch was technically inadequate,” he claimed.

“Unity Fiji emphasised in the press conference that the main problem is the system not the election processes. The Multinational Observer Group (MOG) did not audit the system.

“The MOG scrutiny was only on the processes. The MOG did not even evaluate the oppressive climate of the elections.

Mr Narube referred to the introduction of new rules before the election regulating the holding of public opinion polls.

“Unity Fiji believes that this was a ploy to prevent people from knowing how low the support for FijiFirst was.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by NFP general secretary Seni Nabou.

She said the “glitch” made international headlines thanks to the overseas journalists who were in Fiji reporting on the elections.

“This has reminded NFP to recall other glitches in provisional results from the 2014 and 2018 election count nights that do not match up with what we have been continually assured by the FEO as robust “double blind” entry protocols,” she said.

“The NFP is certainly looking forward to the Government’s decision on how it intends to take a holistic Commission of Inquiry (Commissions of Inquiry Act 1946) or audit or whatever process it sees fit, to intimately examine electoral processes, staffing, policies and legislation.”

Ms Nabou said this would ensure low voter turnout was arrested once and for all, and that no voter was ever disenfranchised again.

FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry also confirmed they had written to the PM on January 3.

“Our letter to PM Rabuka requested him to commission, as soon as possible, an independent forensic audit of the entire electoral process as demanded in the joint letter to the Electoral Commission,” he said.

“As a priority, we requested that all ballot boxes, Protocols of Results etcetera be taken immediately into official custody by the Government to be kept secured until the inquiry takes place.”

Mr Chaudhry said the glitch was of particular concern.

There are too many reports of anomalies,” Mr Chaudhry claimed.

“We urge that the inquiry also examines the expenditure incurred on the 2022 general elections to ascertain whether the relevant rules and financial regulations were complied with by the FEO.”

Both Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Attorney General Siromi Turaga had earlier called for an election audit.