Commonwealth relaxes Fiji ban

Commonwealth relaxes Fiji ban

The Commonwealth has relaxed Fiji’s full suspension from the organisation to a suspension from the councils of the Commonwealth. The partial lifting of the ban has been welcomed by Fiji, while the country’s full reinstatement now depends on its commitment to democratic elections in September. Fiji lost its status in the 53-member body in 2009 after refusing to hold democratic elections, following the 2006 coup. The country remains suspended by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, while travel sanctions imposed by Australia and New Zealand are being reviewed. The Commonwealth is rewarding Fiji’s progressive steps towards national elections this year. This includes a new Constitution, the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission and the enrolment of more than 540,000 voters. Meanwhile, Australia has also relaxed its hardline position, and is expected to normalise relations soon, as Fiji transitions to democracy. 

This article was written by
Frida Bani-Sam

Frida initially joined PiPP under the research internship programme. She continues to support the ongoing development of communication activities and maintaining our website. Outside of PiPP, she is deputy-chair of the board of Youth Challenge Vanuatu.

There is 1 comment for this article
  1. Canoegoddess at 9:40 am

    How come there is no ‘share’ button so we can disseminate on fb, twitter, etc.? Or am I missing it?