Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem. [File Photo]

The Supervisor of Elections now has the authority to direct a person to remove any misinformation regarding the elections.

This has been factored in the amended Electoral Act.

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem highlighted this while speaking on FBC TV’s “4 the Record” show.

He adds the FEO sees misinformation as a chronic problem used by some opportunists in Fiji.

Saneem says the amended law will ensure the protection of Fijian voters before, during, and after an election.

“Time and again, Opportunists come up and they make these claims. We have some very popular people who are misinformation Gurus they like to rile people up and they seem to be attacking right, left, and centre.”

Saneem pointed one example in 2018, where a post on social media claimed that the National Federation Party would remove Diwali if it came to power.

The Supervisor of Elections is urging political parties to improve on their audited financial disclosures which are still lagging.

He says the disclosures for the year 2020 are due at month-end.

“The accounting practices that the parties have to follow, don’t have to be drawn up now. The accounting practices that they follow are based on accounting standards from history. It’s not that it’s something new. The receipt book has been there from the time accounting started I would assume. That’s how you can qualify income.”

With an election just a year away, Saneem says party members need to declare the benefits they receive.

This is to ensure transparency, solve financial irregularities and win the public trust.