The former Fijian solicitor-general, fired in a political upheaval two weeks ago, accepted reappointment yesterday, saying the country needs qualified lawyers to help restore the rule of law.
Christopher Pryde rejected calls by the New Zealand and Fiji law societies for lawyers to refuse appointments to posts in the military-led regime.
“It is vitally important at this time in Fiji’s history that people assist the country in getting back on its feet and to a restoration of the rule of law,” said Pryde, a former New Zealand lawyer.
His reappointment came hours after the UN Security Council demanded the restoration of democracy and fair elections in the volatile South Pacific country.
“The members of the Security Council are deeply concerned about the situation in Fiji, where undemocratic decisions were made including the abrogation of the constitution. It is a step backward,” council president Claude Heller said.
Fiji’s military ruler, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a coup more than two years ago, has refused to hold elections until 2014.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
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