Fiji voting change halted

A Fiji court yesterday ordered the military regime of the South Pacific nation to stop work on plans to update the country's voting system by altering the constitution.

Fiji High Court judge Filimoni Jitoko ordered the halt, pending the outcome of a case being brought by former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, who was deposed in a December 2006 coup by military chief Frank Bainimarama.

Self-appointed interim Prime Minister Bainimarama has been promoting a people's charter, which would change the country's constitution to introduce a new voting system.