THE Fiji Labour Party says the current ballot paper design withholds information that will assist voters in easily identifying the candidate of their choice. Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry made the comment in response to a Tebbutt-Times Poll on the ballot papers that showed majority of people prefer having photos of the candidates alongside their candidate number on the ballot paper. “FLP’s position is that the ballot paper should include the names of the candidates with their photographs and their party acronyms and symbols,” he said. “It is wrong to withhold vital information which would assist the voters to cast their votes with confidence.
“It is pertinent that Fiji’s electoral laws were imposed on the people by a decree and not promulgated through the parliamentary process.”
Social Democratic Liberal Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka said having photos of each candidate beside their number was the most practical and logical approach to ensure voters made better informed choices.
Mr Rabuka said the current practice could be confusing in the pressured voting environment and voters could easily forget who was represented by a particular number. “This is worsened by the requirement in the law that voters may not take into the voting booth ‘how to vote’ materials,” he said.
Full Article: Parties want ballot paper change – Fiji Times Online.