While the Elections Office has reasserted its independence, questions over the impartiality of returning officers and polling agents remain. The actual election work is conducted by the civil servants, many of who have been placed in their positions by the Qarase regime. A glimpse of this was seen in Rakiraki recently during the Sugar Cane Growers Council election where the District Officer had ruled that a candidate opposing the regime-backed candidate, was not qualified to contest. The candidate had to seek legal assistance to remain in the running, and successfully won the contest.