FEO will not report NFP to FICAC for placing banner outside its HQ

The Fijian Elections Office will not be referring the matter where the National Federation Party placed a billboard outside it’s headquarters on the road reserve in breach of Section 112(3) of the Electoral Act to FICAC.

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem also confirms FijiFirst filed the complaint against the NFP regarding the billboard.

He says FEO has taken the approach that where campaign material is found to be in an unauthorised location, in the interest of a free and fair election, the SOE will exercise its powers in Section 116 of the Electoral Act to have those material removed as they have done with the two complaints, the other of which regarding FijiFirst campaign material on the Suva Civic Carpark.

Saneem says the FEO recommended the amendment to Section 112 so that the Supervisor was further empowered to monitor the compliance of Section 112 of the Act and in this regard the FEO proposed opportunity for the Supervisor to direct a party or its accomplice or if not them then to the police or a staff of the FEO to remove a campaign material that does not comply with the law.

The Supervisor says the idea behind seeking this amendment was that they are able to keep the campaign environment as compliant as possible with the law.

Saneem says this means the FEO would take the approach of compliance first before prosecution.

He says even if the campaign material is outside the designated approved location by a centimetre, the campaign material is in breach of the law. Saneem further says there are no regulations in terms of placing campaign material on private places.

He confirms now that the NFP has re-erected its billboard within its own boundary, FEO finds they are in compliant with the Act.

When fijivillage approached Saneem to ask questions, he accused us of not reporting on the billboard being taken down and only reporting that it is not being on the survey and he asked fijivillage and Vijay Narayan to explain why it has not been reported.

We responded that we did report on NFP taking down the billboard.

He then asked us to ask our question which was if the SOE’s directive for NFP to remove the billboard was based on a complaint and if so, then who had filed it.

Saneem responded the banner has been taken down and accused fijivillage for not asking about the FijiFirst banner.

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