Emergency, constitution supsended in Fiji. No elections till 2014

by israeli.agent | April 10, 2009 at 02:21 pm

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Fiji’s President enforced state emergency on Friday with immediate effect. The first causality of this development will be the media because as per the Presidential decree any news that "destabilizes" law and order situation will be stopped. Reports say that the government posted secret police in all the newsrooms to "monitor" to advice whether the news the media publishing are "suitable" for publication.

Fiji's president suspended the constitution of his country on Friday and fired the judges who declared its military government illegal.

The radical move by the titular head of state paves the way for the armed forces chief who seized power in 2006 to retain to control despite a senior court's ruling on Thursday that his coup — and therefore his government — was unlawful.

The 24 hours of turmoil marks the latest chapter in a long-running political crisis in the once-idyllic country of 800,000 people that has become increasingly unstable and more impoverished after four coups in the past 20 years.

In a national address on Friday, President Ratu Josefa Iloilo announced he had abrogated the constitution and revoked all judicial appointments, leaving him to rule by decree as part of what he called ``the new order.''

An interim government will be sworn in by the self-appointed head of the state Ratu Josefa Iloilo this morning - Reports www.fijitimes.com.

Under the constitution, Fiji's president has a mostly ceremonial role as head of state and governing power is held by an elected prime minister and cabinet. Mr Iloilo also said Fiji would hold elections in 2014.

The date of those elections - which are supposed to restore democracy - has been a sore point domestically and internationally since Commodore Bainimarama seized power in December 2006 — the country's fourth coup in 20 years