A brochure informing Fijians of their right to vote freely in the 2018 election was launched by the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission together with the Fijian Elections Office in Suva yesterday.

Human Rights Director, Ashwin Raj says this articulates the right to what political participation entails, the features of free and fair elections and human rights standards.

He says its important eligible voters are well versed in their right to vote.

“The brochure also talks about the fact that human right and freedom comes with responsibilities, the right to freedom of expression does not give one the right to promote hate speech or incite violence based on race, ethnicity, religion or any other prohibited grounds of discrimination. The funder mental features of a free and fair elections include the provision of a written law that guarantees the right to political participation including the right to vote.”

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem says having the Human Rights Commission on board is vital to the quality of work they do.

“It’s an excellent compilation of the basic standard that have to be met with a free and fair election. The most important one is being the right to vote, the right to secrecy of the ballot and the right to periodic elections”

The FEO says they will incorporate the brochures in their awareness programs during the distribution around the country.