Fiji ruler: Court tried to force elections

Fiji’s military ruler said today the country’s president had overthrown the constitution because appeal court judges tried to “force” the nation into elections under the old race-based voting system.

Commodore Frank Bainimarama, reappointed prime minister at the weekend after the Court of Appeal ruled his 2006 coup and government were illegal and new elections should be called, said the three judges had written a “52 page judgment in 24 hours. It was obvious they made that decision long before they got to Fiji”.