Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has promised free, fair and open elections, in a short New Zealand visit in which he kept protesters away from his meetings and gave limited interviews.
Mr Bainimarama is in New Zealand to campaign for his party Fiji First before his country's first elections, on September 17, since he came to power in a 2006 military coup.
It is his first visit to New Zealand as prime minister, but he did not meet with any New Zealand officials or give any open media interviews during the four-day trip.
He limited his interviews to Auckland's Radio Tarana and right-wing blogger Cameron Slater, who says he feels Fiji has been treated harshly by its international neighbours.
The 39-minute interview, conducted on the balcony of an Auckland hotel, was posted online on Monday.
Mr Bainimarama defended not holding elections in 2009, because Fiji was not ready. Fiji was kicked out of the Commonwealth and Pacific Islands Forum that year.
He was critical of Australian and New Zealand officials, who did not understand, or chose not to understand, what was going on in Fiji.
He said Fiji's new constitution now ensured free, fair and open elections, including:
* Photographic voting cards to eliminate voter fraud
* One person, one vote, eliminating racial elitism
* Keeping corruption, big business, religion and unions out of politics
* Minimum 5001 party members.
Mr Bainimarama said the minimum party membership was needed for credibility, despite Fiji having a population of less than 900,000.
Parties must also have $F5001 in funds.
"If you can't afford the $5001 how can we provide support in parliament when you get in?"
Mr Bainimarama also said the days of controlling the media were gone. They had been necessary to keep the peace in the years after the coup.
Media had not been doing themselves justice in reporting what was happening in Fiji, but were free to report what they liked in the last two or three years, he said.
Mr Bainimarama said if he didn't win the election he would probably retire.
However, he said a poll had given him 86 per cent support to be the next prime minister.
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