UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has denounced the scrapping of Fiji's Constitution and the clear attempt by the country's unelected executive to prolong rule by setting a new five-year time frame for parliamentary elections in 2014. The South Pacific archipelago's leadership also declared a public emergency and fired the country's judges -- like Gen. Pervez Musharraf did in 2007 -- in a move following Fiji's Court of Appeal ruling on Thursday that the 2006 ousting of the elected Government was illegal and the appointment of the interim Government unconstitutional. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban said he strongly deplores these steps and calls for urgent action towards their reversal. He also called for the restoration of a legitimate government and constitutional order. The latest measures are a clear rejection of the legal process, the Secretary-General's statement read, adding that the actions take by Fiji's leadership run contrary to the stated common objective of returning the country to an elected government as soon as possible. In February, the United Nations was requested, along with the Commonwealth, to broker an inclusive, independent and time-bound political dialogue, after parliamentary elections scheduled for last month were postponed. The country's Prime Minister, Josaia Bainimarama, told the General Assembly's high-level annual debate in September 2008 that the country would not be able to hold parliamentary elections by March 2009, as previously scheduled, because it first must reform its electoral system. The island chain has suffered prolonged internal tensions between its indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian communities, and had four coups since 1987. Bainimarama, commander of Fiji's military forces, came to power in a coup in December 2006, sparking criticism from the UN at the time.