A/RES/55/280 or through freely chosen representatives, that everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his or her country, that the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of the government and that this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures, Taking into account the requested assistance provided by the United Nations in 1995, supporting the revision of the 1990 Constitution of Fiji leading to the promulgation of the Constitution Amendment Act 1997 of the Republic of the Fiji Islands, Recalling that the verification of free and fair elections should cover the entire time span of the electoral process, and noting that assistance by the United Nations to Member States should continue on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the evolving needs of requesting countries, Recognizing existing time constraints, which allow the Organization to observe only the election environment, polling, counting, computation of results, complaints and resolution mechanisms, the announcement of results and the post-election acceptance of results, Welcoming the early exercise of free and fair elections by the caretaker Government seeking to reinstate constitutional democracy, 1. Decides to authorize the Secretary-General to establish the United Nations Electoral Observer Mission to monitor the general elections in Fiji and the immediate post-election environment; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to arrange, as soon as possible, for the deployment of the Electoral Observer Mission so that it may commence its monitoring functions; 3. Calls upon the authorities directly concerned to extend their fullest cooperation to the Electoral Observer Mission in order to facilitate the accomplishment of its task, as requested by the United Nations; 4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session on the implementation of the present resolution under the agenda item entitled, “Support by the United Nations system of the efforts of Governments to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies”. 109th plenary meeting 25 July 2001 2