New Zealand to help Fiji prepare for elections

  • Murray McCully
Foreign Affairs

New Zealand will provide $500,000 to Fiji’s Constitutional Commission and has offered additional technical expertise to prepare for general elections in 2014, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced today.

The announcement follows Mr McCully’s visit to Suva over the weekend for talks with Fiji Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola.

“New Zealand’s funding will support the establishment of the Constitutional Commission and help ensure it is well placed to carry out meaningful dialogue with Fiji citizens,” Mr McCully says.

“In recent weeks a technical expert from NZ Post has worked alongside the Fiji Elections Office on electronic voter registration. I have offered to continue this support and provide additional personnel and resources to aid the enrolment effort.

“New Zealand wants to see a genuine and inclusive constitutional process in Fiji that leads to a sustainable and stable form of government.

“The establishment of a democratic government will benefit the people of Fiji and the wider Pacific region,” Mr McCully says.