SYDNEY, (Reuters) – The Commonwealth, Australia and New Zealand called on Fiji’s military ruler, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, to hold credible elections and restore democracy after he announced an end to emergency laws imposed since 2009.
The Commonwealth suspended Fiji and its two more powerful neighbours, Australia and New Zealand, imposed sanctions after a bloodless coup in 2006.
Bainimarama, who took power in the 2006 coup and imposed emergency laws in 2009 prohibiting protests and censoring the media, announced in a New Year’s message that the emergency laws would end in February.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said that was a positive step but added he hoped there would be “credible elections and the return of a democratically elected government without further delay”.
“We do want to see action. We do want to see democracy restored,” Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard told a news conference in Sydney yesterday.