Fiji's neighbours back Australian push

Fiji's closest Pacific neighbours have joined Australia and New Zealand in condemning the military regime's so-called roadmap for change.

The country's self-appointed leader, Frank Bainimarama, has faced a barrage of international criticism over a speech made on Wednesday that set an election date more than five years away.

Bainimarama, who took power in a December 2006 coup, says he needs until September 2014 to introduce a fairer, non-race-based voting system and write it into a new constitution that replaces one his regime tore up in April.

In the meantime, he plans to focus on rebuilding the country's failing economy and has called on the international community for support.

He appears unlikely to get it however, with Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith branding the roadmap "totally unacceptable" and repeating calls for the regime to return the country to democracy as soon as possible.

Now Bainimarama's most outspoken Pacific neighbour, Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele, has echoed these sentiments, telling Radio New Zealand there seemed to be some confusion in Fiji over how the democratic process works.

"I do not know what kind of constitution he's talking about when there's no parliament. There needs to be a parliament to approve a constitution," he said.

"(Bainimarama) ought to realise that democracy in Fiji is an unnegotiable condition for the international community to give any help."

Cook Islands Prime Minister Jim Marurai said he too was concerned about the eight-year lapse between the country's fourth coup in December 2006 and elections in September 2014.

"At least they are thinking about going back to the democratic way of running the country, but the timing is too long," Marurai told the radio network.

"And they need a parliament to pass the constitution, or the parliament has to sit to pass the constitution or discuss it."

The speech was also unpopular with the European Union, which said the new roadmap may jeopardise the funding it gives Fiji to support its ailing sugar industry.

Melanesian Spearhead Group countries, particularly Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, have shown more support for Fiji's government, and hope to organise a meeting to discuss the issue ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Cairns next month.

The roadmap comes two months after political upheaval in Fiji in which the constitution was abrogated, the judiciary sacked and the regime introduced a heavy-handed new order to censor anti-government sentiment.