The Commonwealth is set to suspend Fiji if it continues to refuse to bow to international demands to call elections by next year.

The grouping of 53 nations had demanded that Fiji commit to holding elections by October 2010 by 1200 GMT on Tuesday.

But Fiji has indicated it will stick to its own "roadmap", which sets out elections in 2014.

The archipelago’s military leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, overthrew the elected government in 2006.

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

But his critics charge that under his rule, Fiji has suspended the constitution, detained opponents and suppressed freedom of speech.

‘True democracy’

The Commonwealth said in a statement last week that Cmdr Bainimarama had already indicated he would not make the commitments to negotiations with the opposition and to elections next year that it required.

Cmdr Bainimarama repeated his opposition to this timetable when he spoke to commercial radio on Tuesday, reported AFP news agency.

"The Fiji government believes the roadmap is the only path to ensuring sustainable and true democracy, which includes… to have elections in 2014," he said.

"We will remain with that."

Fiji has already been banned from Commonwealth ministerial meetings. If it is fully suspended, all Commonwealth aid will be cut off and Fiji will not be allowed to participate in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth’s Special Representative for Fiji, Sir Paul Reeves, is set to visit the country from 9-11 September.

Fiji has already been suspended from the regional Pacific Islands Forum, and some European Union aid to the country has been suspended.

The Commonwealth is a grouping of 53 former British colonies, dependencies and other territories.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.