The FijiFirst party has lodged a “19-page letter” of complaint to the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) against some candidates of The People’s Alliance who they alleged breached certain provisions of the Electoral Act.
Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem confirmed during a media conference yesterday that he had received the complaint.
“We have received a complaint and we put it to the normal complaint mechanism of the Fijian Elections Office,” he said.
During a media conference in Suva on Tuesday night, FijiFirst general secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said all political parties must ensure that electoral laws were adhered to.
“This will ensure amongst other things that there is transparency, a level playing field for all and that the electoral is able to make informed choices because within this context we will highlight certain issues which we request the Fijian Elections Office to look into and indeed take appropriate actions.”
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum claimed a party candidate had offered employment in the USA to residents of a place he had visited in Lami if they voted for him in the general elections.
In a response, The People’s Alliance party said in a statement that like everyone else in Fiji, they were only made aware of the Minister for Elections and general secretary of the FijiFirst party, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s new litany of complaints against the party in a media announcement he made overnight.
“For now, The People’s Alliance has not received any formal letter of complaint either from Mr Khaiyum or from the FEO.”
