Fiji suspended from Commonwealth

The Commonwealth has fully suspended Fiji after it refused to bow to demands to call elections by next year.



Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma cited the Pacific island country\'s lack of progress towards democracy.



It’s the second full suspension in the organisation\'s history.



Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power in Fiji in a 2006 coup and has said elections can only be reinstated in 2014, as part of his roadmap.



He says he needs time to institute reforms that will end the ethnic-based voting system tipped in favour of ethnic Fijians.



However his critics have charged that under his rule, Fiji has suspended the constitution, detained opponents and suppressed freedom of speech.