Missing names on Voter Rolls

[posted 10 May 2006, 1300]

Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry has expressed concern that hundreds of voters arrive at polling booths with registration slips but their names are not on voter rolls.

In a letter to the Supervisor of Elections, Chaudhry said arrangements should be made for these people to vote:

“These people are being deprived of their constitutional right to vote. I request that all those who carry registration slips whose names cannot be found on the voter rolls be allowed to vote.

They number in hundreds throughout Fiji and are overwhelmingly Indian voters. We are now of the opinion that this omission is deliberate otherwise you cannot have hundreds of names missing just like that.

Registration forms are accountable documents and it was the responsibility of the Elections Office to ensure they were all accounted for. In fact, we reminded your office as early as 5 May 2005 that every registration form must be accounted for. Obviously, the Elections Office failed to do this.

FLP holds the Elections Office responsible for this colossal blunder which is depriving people of their constitutional right to vote.

The Supervisor of Elections must now make amends for its administrative incompetence by making provisions for all those with registration slips to be allowed to vote.

Denial of their constitutional right to vote through an omission on the part of your office, could result in legal action.