NZ to provide support for Fiji election

New Zealand will provide most of the help given by foreign governments in Fiji's general elections next year, which will again use preferential voting.

The NZ Government has already sent an elections expert to help review the logistics for the Fiji general elections from voter registration right down to the counting period, according to Fiji's deputy supervisor of elections Tomasi Tui.

The preferential voting system was blamed for the high number of invalid votes in the 2001 general elections as many voters said they were confused about picking party candidates as well as voting for the party.

The presence of the international community in next year's elections is expected to be further increased if the Commonwealth Secretariat takes up an invitation by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to send observers to the 2006 polls.

Fiji Electoral Commission chairman Graham Leung did not want to comment on elections preparations.

- NZPA