The Fiji Labour Party and Unity Fiji have taken a joint legal action against the Government by filing two cases in the High Court and are expected to file a third case soon.
FLP and Unity Fiji Leaders Mahendra Chaudhry and Savenaca Narube revealed this in a press conference today.
The first case is regarding amendments to the Political Parties Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures Act.
The two parties say the amendments remove the right of an aggrieved party to appeal in the High Court against the decisions of the Registrar of Political Parties and the Electoral Commission.
FLP and Unity Fiji say removing the right of political parties to access the courts in such cases is unconstitutional and they are seeking to have the right restored.
This case will be called on the 2nd of next month.
Chaudhry and Narube say the second case deals with the failure of the Constitutional Offices Commission to perform its constitutional function and appoint a tribunal to investigate the Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem for alleged misbehaviour.
They say the instances of the alleged misbehaviour were fully disclosed in the petition sent to the Chairman of the Constitutional Offices Commission by the leaders of SODELPA, NFP, FLP and Unity Fiji in August 2021.
According to Chaudhry and Narube, the third legal action is being prepared and it also deals with amendments made to the Electoral Act via the Finance Management Act.
They say this requires political parties or candidates or any person representing a political party or a candidate and who makes a promise during a campaign which has financial implications to immediately submit in writing where the money for the promise will come from and if that expenditure will result in a deficit, how the deficit will be met and how will that information be treated in the accounts of the government.
Chaudhry says this is an impractical and stupid legislation.
The two parties will be represented by lawyer, Sevuloni Valenitabua.
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