17 Sep 2014

Fiji elections today - first since 2006 coup

9:11 am on 17 September 2014

Under 30-year olds make up the biggest proportion of Fiji's 600-thousand registered voters who go to the polls today.

Naim Ali has cast his vote

Naim Ali has cast his vote Photo: RNZI/Sally Round

Because this is the first election since the 2006 coup, most of them have not voted before.

Polling booths are opened at 7.30 this morning in Fiji's first election since the 2006 coup.

It is a public holiday in Fiji, which it’s hoped will encourage a good voter turnout and employers have been reminded they face up to ten years in jail and a hefty fine if they restrict workers from getting to the polls.

RNZI’s Sally Round reports that there's been a mixture of hope and fear in the run-up to this long-awaited election which tries to do away with voting along ethnic lines.

As polls get underway the military is on standby and Fiji's police chief says he won't hesitate to call in the army should law and order break down. The polls close at six this evening.