Statement from the Secretary to The Electoral Commission

Mr Mohammed Saneem

15 July 2021- 11am

173 to be the first number on the Ballot Paper for the next General Election

The Electoral Commission this morning conducted a ball draw to determine the first 3-digit number that will appear on the ballot paper for the next general election.

The number draw is pursuant to Section 36(2) (c) of the Electoral Act 2014. The Act outlines that the Electoral Commission is required to approve the first three (3) digit number of the Ballot paper for the 2022 General Election.

The event was attended by members of political parties including the Party Leader for Social Democratic Liberal Party as well as the Acting President of the Fiji Labour Party with other stakeholders tuning in to the live event.

The event was also witnessed by a Police Officer from the Fiji Police Force.

At its meeting earlier this morning, the Electoral Commission had approved that the ballot paper for the next election will start with the series 100, so the first number in the 3-digit number would be one (1) followed by two (2) digits that were drawn randomly from the barrel by the Chairperson.

The Commission members all attended the draw virtually and witnessed the event. They authorized that at the end of the draw the Chairperson would announce the three (3) digits as approved by the Commission for the next general election.

As announced by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, the first three (3) digit number to appear on the ballot paper for the 2022 General Election will be 173.

After the draw, a sample of the ballot paper with about 200 candidates for the next general election was demonstrated to political representatives that had attended as well as on the live platforms.

The next general election can be held between 9th July 2022 and 9th January 2023.

Ends.