Vote count starts slowly in post-coup Fiji poll

Vote count starts slowly in post-coup Fiji poll

SUVA (Agencies): Vote counting got off to a slow start on Monday in Fiji's first general election since last year's coup, election officials said.

The first results are expected later in the day from the Ba district sugarcane stronghold of former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry, an ethnic Indian ousted in the racially charged coup.

"Everything is under control so far," said Tomasii Tui, assistant returning officer of elections.

Unarmed police patrolled four vote counting centers in the South Pacific nation of about 800,000 people. Some voters expressed concern about a return to violence if Chaudhry, despised by ultra-right factions of the indigenous Fijian majority, is returned to power.

"If Chaudhry is re-elected, who knows what will happen?" said Thomas Naibini, 27, outside his home in the Rawaqa Squatters Flats in the Fijian capital of Suva.

"There could be trouble because many Fijians do not think he represents them," Naibini, an indigenous Fijian, said.

Chaudhry was ousted after armed nationalists stormed parliament on May 19, 2000, in the name of indigenous rights.

Election officials and polling volunteers at three of the four counting depots were still sorting ballots before beginning the tally, which could take up to five days.

Around 200 police were deployed to two depots in Suva, which will count votes from 32 of the Fiji parliament's 71 seats.

Ethnic Indians were brought to Fiji from the late 19th century as indentured labor to work in sugar cane fields.

They now make up about 44 percent of the population and dominate the sugar and tourism-driven economy. Many indigenous Fijians worry that ethnic Indians will match their economic power with political clout.

Qarase said during the run-up to the election that Fiji would not be ready for another Indian leader for up to 30 years.

Unofficial exit polls indicated most Fijians had voted along ethnic lines, leaving Chaudhry and his Fijian Labour Party as clear front-runners. Early figures suggested a relatively high voter turnout of more than 80 percent.

Chaudhry and coup leader George Speight, who is awaiting trial on treason charges, were two of the highest profile candidates in an election contested by 18 parties and 351 candidates.

The election was overseen by a team of UN and international observers who recorded only minor irregularities during the week- long vote.

Meanwhile, electoral officials said Monday thousands of voters shunned Fiji's general elections even though voting is compulsory here and despite a clean bill from UN and Commonwealth observers.

In a statement the United Nations Fijian Electoral Observation Mission (UNFEOM) said in a statement they had visited 95 percent of the polling stations.

"To date, the mission has observed no problems significant enough to compromise the overall integrity of the voting process," the statement says.

"The vote was conducted in a transparent manner."

UNFEOM said they were aware of several concerns, including citizens being unable to vote because their names were not on the roll.

They said they would study the data before determining whether this would affect the outcome.

"The United Nations mission looks forward to the realization of Fiji's national determination to return to democratic rule."

The Commonwealth Observer Group, led by Sir Henry Forde of Barbados said in a statement that voting took place in a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

It added it was impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the election officials, but also noted some problems.

"However, overall the voting process functioned well; indeed, it compared favorably with that of many other countries.

"So far the process has been credible, but it is not over yet."