2022 Election: $16k phone bill claims surface

2022 Election: Don’t wait for 2026 – Vosarogo

VOTERS between the ages of 18 and 40 have been told that the 2022 General Election “is your elections”. Prominent Suva lawyer and The People’s Alliance party candidate Filimoni Vosarogo told people who turned up at a rally at the Naveiwakau Methodist Church hall on Tuesday night that this age group had the power to...

2022 General Election: Stay put at your polling stations and vote – Ali

STAY put! That’s the message Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre coordinator and human rights advocate Shamima Ali is sending out to all eligible voters. “Stay near your polling station, cast your vote on December 14 and make it count,” she said. She said December was a time when people, especially the iTaukei, made Christmas plans and...

Former Ecuador VP released from prison for second time

QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s former Vice President Jorge Glas was on Monday released from prison for the second time after a local judge approved alternative corrective measures in lieu of a custodial sentence for corruption charges. Judge Emerson Curipallo from the province of Santo Domingo said Glas’ rights had been violated by delays in resolving...

‘Don’t Fall for Nonsense’

WE are not here to talk about racial differences, says FijiFirst general secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. While speaking to supporters in Tavua, the Attorney-General took aim at his major political opponents who he claimed have been appealing to voters using race and religion as a drawcard. “We are not here to give a speech about election...

PM takes a swipe at Rabuka

VOTING for The People’s Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka will take Fijians back to 2000, says FijiFirst leader Voreqe Bainimarama. He made the comments during a party campaign meeting at the Vashist Muni School Hall in Navua last Friday. Mr Bainimarama said his government had removed uncertainty from the country. He also claimed Mr Rabuka and...

Lata to stand for NFP in 2022 General Elections.

NATIONAL Federation Party 2022 General Election candidate Ansu Lata claims Fiji has lost respect in the international community. She said she decided to contest the polls this year because she felt it was time for the issue to be rectified through a change of leadership and Government. “I intend to be a driving force behind...

Bainimarama: Rabuka is a Flop

FIJIFIRST leader Voreqe Bainimarama labelled The People’s Alliance party leader Sitiveni Rabuka “a flop” after Mr Rabuka said he could not read the PM’s mind or know his intentions. Mr Bainimarama was referring to comments Mr Rabuka made at a joint news conference with the National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad last week. “He...

Biman Takes Swipe at A-G

NATIONAL Federation Party leader professor Biman Prasad says FijiFirst general secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has a “superiority complex” and his “gross insult” to bhajaniyas was demeaning to the Indo-Fijian community. He said Mr Sayed-Khaiyum mocking the intelligence of bhajaniyas was “a gross insult to them”. At a FijiFirst party rally in Nasinu last week, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum...

Sayed-Khaiyum’s Comments “Demeaning”

FIJI Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry says comments about bhajaniyas by FijiFirst general secretary Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum at a Nasinu rally last week were “insulting and demeaning”. Mr Chaudhry was referring to Mr Sayed-Khaiyum questioning the calibre of an FLP candidate referring to him as a “bhajaniya” and questioning his ability to contribute to debates...

The Power of Words

RENOWNED academic Steven Ratuva says as leaders, politicians must be responsible in the language they use in their campaign because the impact can be destructive in the long term, well after the elections are over. Professor Ratuva, the director of the University of Canterbury’s Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, in Christchurch, New Zealand, said...

Misleading Information Concerning

THE Fijian Elections Office is “greatly concerned” at misinformation being circulated across the country that there will be electronic counting of votes in the 2022 General Election, says Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem. “We also have noted, with rather great concern, that there is a group of people who seem to be hell bent on...

2022 General Election: Ballot boxes ‘tracked’

The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) has begun packing pre-poll ballot boxes as pre-polling begins in the country from December 5. Yesterday, the FEO held a media walkthrough of the area where the operations were taking place. Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem explained the ballot boxes were manually tracked from the warehouse to the central processing...

2022 General Election: Vote for the future of our children – Lata

Ansu Lata entered politics with a simple goal in mind: to bring about change for sound democratic governance and leadership in health, education, human rights and women empowerment. Eight years on from her first election, the 40-year-old Labasa native is contesting her third election under the National Federation Party (NFP) banner. With a string of...

2022 General Election: ‘I stand for the less fortunate’

Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) candidate Setefano Osonamoli made a decision to contest the 2022 General Election to be a voice for the underprivileged, vulnerable and marginalised in society. He has a history of public service after being a member of the Great Council of Chiefs, member of the Namosi Provincial Council and Namosi Development...

2022 General Election: 606,092 eligible to vote – Saneem

A total of 606,092 voters will be eligible to vote on December 14. This was confirmed by Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem during a briefing over the weekend. Mr Saneem also confirmed that at the conclusion of the postal vote verification process, the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) had received 9916 postal vote applications. Mr Saneem...

2022 General Election: Fiji PM ‘delusional’

National Federation Party (NFP) general secretary Leba Seni Nabou has called Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama “delusional” following his attack on the wife of NFP leader, professor Biman Prasad. At a campaign rally at Vashist Muni Hall in Navua last Friday, Mr Bainimarama claimed that Prof Prasad’s wife, Dr Rajni Chand, did not deserve the position...

2022 General Election: Political party told to remove video

The Fijian Elections Office has asked The People’s Alliance (PA) party to remove a video addressing the Denarau land deal from its Facebook page. In a statement, the FEO said it received a complaint on the video published by The People’s Alliance in which Y3 Kofera Trust chairman Ratu Vuniani Navuniuci was purporting to be...

2022 General Election: Chaudhry reveals why he is running for polls again

Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry says he is standing again in the 2022 General Election because he can’t bear the “wrongs” of the FijiFirst government. “A leader has a responsibility to the people, a duty to the people and to fight injustice,” he said. “We can’t just take all of these wrong things being...

2022 General Election: ‘We will remove fear’ – Rabuka

The rights and freedom of Fijians are under threat and abused under the FijiFirst government, says The People’s Alliance party leader Sitiveni Rabuka. Speaking in Lautoka, he said fear among Fijians has been part of the current government’s machinery since 2006. He said the leaders of FijiFirst were “experts in its use”. “Basically people fear...

2022 General Election: SODELPA will not go into coalition with FijiFirst – Koroisavou

We will not sleep on the same bed with the same people who took us out, says Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) campaign director Jope Koroisavou. He said this while answering questions from this newspaper regarding any potential FijiFirst party (FFP) and SODELPA coalition after the 2022 General Election. “I think that the (SODELPA) leader...

2022 General Election: Vote for a good government – Chaudhry

Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry says if people do not vote out the FijiFirst government in the 2022 General Election, Fijians will continue to remain in their control. While speaking to supporters in Lautoka over the weekend, he said Fijians should exercise their right to vote if they want change. “If we fail to...

2022 General Election: Fiji PM descends to lowest of personal attacks – Prof Biman

FijiFirst party leader Voreqe Bainimarama has descended to the lowest of personal attacks, says National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad. His comments come in the wake of claims made by Mr Bainimarama during a campaign rally in Nakurukuru, Lami. Mr Bainimarama said Prof Prasad would agree to bring back the Great Council of Chiefs...

Former Pakistan PM Khan calls off protest march to avoid creating ‘havoc’

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his first public appearance since being wounded in a gun attack earlier this month, said on Saturday he was calling off his protest march to Islamabad because he feared it would cause havoc in the country. Khan has been holding country-wide protests to push the...

Vendors’ delight: Three TV sets installed at the market

Market vendors in Labasa will no longer worry about finding a television set during working hours to watch next weekend’s Dubai 7s. Government yesterday, through Walesi, installed three television sets in the market much to their delight. Vendor Dharmen Prasad said this was the best Christmas gift for the vendors who could now relax at...

Equatorial Guinea president wins re-election, VP says on Twitter

DAKAR (Reuters) -Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has won re-election with 95% of the Nov. 20 vote and his party took all the senate and parliament seats, his son Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue said on Twitter on Saturday. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the claim. A win would given Obiang,...

2022 General Election: ‘Power in your hands’; Party to move Fiji away from military rule – Narube

The power is in the hands of the people, says Unity Fiji Party leader Savenaca Narube. While speaking to supporters in Lautoka yesterday, he said Fijians had the right to vote for a new government if they were not happy with the current leadership. “When you look at the Unity Fiji party you will see...

2022 General Election: ‘Development under FijiFirst done faster’

FijiFirst will continue operating along the lines of existing policies on development that has cemented the party’s track record while in power. This, according to FijiFirst party leader Voreqe Bainimarama. Speaking during a party campaign in Navua on Friday, Mr Bainimarama said development done by his government over the years was done at a faster...

Kim Jong Un says North Korea’s goal is for world’s strongest nuclear force

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s ultimate goal is to possess the world’s most powerful nuclear force, as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of North Korea’s largest ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday. The announcement comes after Kim inspected a test of the...

2022 General Election: Saneem dismisses complaint lodged against Fiji PM

Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem has dismissed a complaint lodged against FijiFirst party leader Voreqe Bainimarama and general secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. The complaint was lodged by Unity Fiji’s Mick Beddoes following the FijiFirst party campaign in Nausori. “Having reviewed the statements, it noted that Mr Bainimarama was in fact providing his opinion on the aftermath...

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