Stand down, Frank

FIJI’S military commander and prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, promises that martial law will be lifted on January 7th, and that consultations on a new constitution will begin in February. The announcement from the troubled islands was welcomed by the Commonwealth, of which Fiji is a wayward member, and by Australia, its biggest neighbour. The Commonwealth secretary-general, Kamalesh Sharma, said that lifting public-emergency regulations was “long overdue�, and called for a fresh election. Australia’s prime minister, Julia Gillard, said it was a “first step�, but that democracy had to be restored. Both are right to be cautious.Martial law was first introduced after Mr Bainimarama seized power in December 2006. It was lifted the following May, but then reimposed in September 2007 to head off protests by public-sector unions, traditional chiefs and leaders of the Methodist church. Since April 2009, when the country’s constitution was abrogated, martial law has been a permanent fixture. Mr Bainimarama has ruled by decree, putting in place draconian media and...