The Multinational Observer Group’s final report on the 2018 General Election has been released, in which the group held the general election was credible and represented the will of the people.

The 71-page report also debunked a number of theories which made the rounds after the election and reported that the counting and tabulation processes used by the Fijian Elections Office were “well thought out and included checks and quality control measures to ensure the accuracy of the result”.

The same process came under much scrutiny from the Opposition political parties.

The MOG further noted that the removal of ethnic voting blocs and the establishment of a system with a single voter register has aligned Fiji with international good practice.

Minister Responsible for Elections:

The group has also stated that it heard arguments that the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum holding the position of Minister responsible for Election was in conflict with his role as the general secretary of FijiFirst.

To this, they stated: “the MOG was not presented with evidence of such a conflict and notes MPs and ministers with various responsibilities in other countries have retained senior organisations roles in their parties.

“The key issue here is that the autonomy and independence of the electoral authorities is maintained.”

Edited by Percy Kean