Party plots poll course

Published June 25th 2005 in Fiji Times

The People's National Party wants to hold talks with Fijian political parties to discuss preferences an impossible alliances for next year's general election.

Party secretary Meli Bogileka said it would be difficult for a party to win a Fijian communal seat on the first count.

"Considering the number of Fijian political parties we have now, the chances of a party winning a Fijian communal seat on the first count are almost impossible," he said.

"And since we have the preferential voting system, it is important for us to talk to other parties on preference.

"We have not spoken to any party yet but we will start approaching all Fijian political parties from next month to discuss the issue."

Mr Bogileka said party executives had started meeting more regularly to work out PNP's strategies for the general election.

"We will not field candidates for all 71 seats in Parliament," he said.

"Instead we will concentrate on Fijian communal seats."

"But that does not mean or stops us from fielding candidates for other seats.

"We are meeting every three weeks now."

Mr Bogileka said the party would field candidates for Serua, Nadroga/Navosa, North West, Bua, Ra, Ba West and Ba West Fijian communal seats and the Navosa, Nadroga and Tavua Open seats.

IRV Soars in Twin Cities, FairVote Corrects the Pundits on Meaning of Election Night '09
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers.  Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections;  the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.

And as pundits try to make hay out of the national implications of Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections, Rob Richie in the Huffington Post concludes that the gubernatorial elections have little bearing on federal elections.

Links