Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj yesterday used his Parliament address to strongly defend former Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem, saying repeated attempts to discredit him were unjustified and have never been backed by evidence.
Speaking firmly from an angle centred on Saneem’s performance and legacy, Maharaj said Fiji conducted three successful elections under his leadership — all of which were recognised as free and fair.
“I want to acknowledge the work of the former Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem, under whose leadership we had three successful free and fair elections in Fiji,” he said.
Maharaj said the government had spent months pushing allegations about the 2022 election “glitch,” only to fall silent once in power.
“This government was all over the place talking about the investigation — but where is the report? What happened to it?”
He said the absence of any charges against Saneem speaks for itself.
“I have not seen or heard of the former Supervisor of Elections being charged with anything to do with the glitch or rigging. That tells you he did his job with honesty and fairness.”
Maharaj added that Saneem’s departure was a loss for the institution.
“It is sad that we have lost a person of his calibre from the Fiji Elections Office,” he said, noting that Saneem had extensive experience steering Fiji through three national polls.
He also dismissed repeated Coalition claims that previous elections were manipulated.
