A common roll - from an interim government?

from w
In today's Fiji Times - part of that speech at the United Nations comes the surprise announcment of a common roll it seems. Has an interim government the right to make drastic changes such as this? Who wrote this speech then?

Surprise poll announcement
1601 FJT
Saturday, September 29, 2007

Update: 4.01pm FIJI will soon do away with communal voting and all races and citizens will vote for one candidate, interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama told the United Nations in New York yesterday.

In his first address in the highest international forum of nations Mr Bainimarama said every person will be given the right to vote for only one candidate, irrespective of race or religion.

''This will send a message out to our people that Fiji's leadership no longer tolerates racial divisions and race-based politics,'' he said.

Mr Bainimarama said although democracy in the form of electing a government was introduced in Fiji at the time of Independence, researchers and analysts have suggested that ''Fijians live in a democracy with a mentality that belongs to the chiefly system.''

''In essence this means that at election time, Fijians living in village and rural areas are culturally influenced to vote for the candidate selected for them by their chiefs, their provincial councils and their church ministers.

''This leads me to ask the question whether or not the countries which are demanding Fiji to immediately return to democracy really understand how distorted and unfair our system is both legally and culturally.''