Main voter roll unreliable- hundreds of names missing

[posted 1April 2006, 1630]

Opposition Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says the main voter registration roll is completely unreliable with hundreds of names still missing.

“In many cases names that appeared on the provisional rolls are not on the main roll. In other cases names have been moved to a different constituency or incorrectly listed. The problems are enormous.

“The rolls are completely unreliable. This is why the Fiji Labour Party took the matter to court,” Mr Chaudhry said.

He warned that as the rolls now stand, hundreds of voters risk being disenfranchised and stripped of their constitutional right to vote. This was something that would definitely affect the election results.

Mr. Chaudhry said it was doubtful, due to the magnitude of the problem and the short time available before polling started, that the rolls could be satisfactorily corrected.

“We are taking this matter up further. Reports are being compiled and a full briefing on the situation will be given on Monday.

“The authorities need to look at the problem very seriously,” the Opposition Leader said.