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Fijian elections credible: MOG

September 18, 2014 6:35 am

The Multinational Observer Group has declared yesterday’s Fijian general elections as credible.

In a media statement this afternoon, the Group says while counting is ongoing and results yet to be finalised, they assess that the outcome is on track to “broadly represent the will of the Fijian voters”.

The Group says the Fijian Elections Office and election workers were competent, professional and committed in performing their duties, sometimes under challenging circumstances.

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It says despite compressed timeframes, a complex voting system and some restrictions in the electoral environment, the conditions were in place for Fijians to exercise their right to vote freely.

The Group says the counting process appeared well organised and thorough, both at polling stations and at the National Counting and Results Centre – adding it has not observed any significant irregularities in the counting process.

The MOG did, however says they observed some problems, particularly in voter registration, pre-polling and postal voting, which stemmed at least in part from the short preparation time.

It says these and other matters will be the subject of a more detailed comment when the final report is completed in due course.