Launch of Pre-Poll

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Launch of Pre-Poll

Nasele Community Hall, Naitasiri

05/12/22 @8:00am

Fellow Electoral Commissioners

Members of the Observer Group,

Members of the Media,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all this morning.

As per the electoral calendar, we are on WD+35 and today marks the commencement of Pre-Polling for the 2022 General Election.

Voters who are living in remote places, members of the Disciplined Forces, Residents of Nursing Homes or Health Care Facilities and those under pre-trial detention or sentence of imprisonment, will be exercising their Right to Vote.

Pre-Poll will take place from today right up until 9th December 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, voters who are voting under Pre-Poll are required to vote only in the Pre-Poll areas which they are assigned to.

Pre-Poll Voting will be conducted at 613 venues for 77,907 registered voters with 109 venues in the Central Division, 175 venues in the Western Division, 140 venues in the North and 189 venues in the Eastern Division.

The ballots that will be cast here will be transported to a central location for counting on Election Night.

The full Pre-Poll Schedule containing details of the venues, dates and times when the FEO teams will be at those venues to conduct Pre-Polling has already been published and is available on the Electoral Commission website on 

www.electoralcommission.org.fj/

Ladies and gentleman, today marks the commencement of polling for the 2022 General Election and I urge all voters to take pride and exercise their right to vote.

Thank you and vinaka vakalevu. 

Electoral Commission finalizes appeals and objections: 343 Candidates in the 2022 General Election

by Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission [‘EC’] received a total of 10 appeals and two (2) objections to nominations  approved by the Supervisor of Elections [‘SoE’] for the 2022 General Election.  

The EC notes that for the purposes of an objection to a nomination, a person is required to comply  with Section 30 of the Electoral Act 2014 which states:  

30(1) A person who is a registered voter may object to the nomination of any candidate on the  ground that the nomination of the candidate as an independent candidate or as a party candidate  on a party list does not comply with the requirements of the Constitution or this Act. 

The EC notes that according to the requirements of Section 30 in evaluating any objection to a  nomination, the EC will re-evaluate the findings of the SoE in particular to ensure that the  requirements set by Section 23 of the Electoral Act 2014 are met.  

The EC received two (2) objections from a voter against 2 candidates. In evaluating the objection, the  EC found that the voter did not submit any grounds as required under section 30 and his objections  were prima facie based on matters that do not fall within the ambit of section 23 of the Act. The EC  proceeded to dismiss the objections. 

In terms of the appeals, the EC received 10 appeals from nominees who had been rejected by the SoE  as well as some from persons who had been withdrawn by parties and also a case of 4 persons who were not even nominated.  

There were two (2) candidates from Social Democratic Liberal Party who appealed, however their  nominations had been duly withdrawn by SODELPA and they had already been replaced by their  party. The EC proceeded to dismiss both these appeals on the same grounds. One candidate, name  Seremaia Tui had appealed the rejection of his nomination which was also dismissed by the EC as it 

was found that he had a previous criminal conviction. The EC found that Seremaia Tui’s nomination  did not meet the requirements of section 23(4)(g). 

There were four (4) candidates from Unity Fiji who had appealed but their nominations were  withdrawn by the Party and not filed at all. Hence, it did not meet the legal basis of an appeal. There  was one (1) candidate from Unity Fiji whose nomination had been processed based on police records and he had been found to have a previous criminal conviction. However, the candidate furnished the  EC with his court judgment in which it was found that there was no conviction to be entered. The EC  upheld his appeal and has thereafter directed the SoE the add him to the final list of candidates. There  was also another candidate, Mr. Ifereimi Buaserau who appealed the decision to the EC but was  dismissed given that there was sufficient evidence to prove that he had a previous conviction. 

Amjad Ali from People’s Alliance filed an appeal but this was dismissed as the party had already  replaced him in its list of candidates.  

For the 2022 General Election, the EC had revised the procedure for dealing with appeals and  objections to ensure that the appeals and objections are dealt with thoroughly and swiftly and in this  regard the EC received very quick responses from the SoE in particular for all the appeals and was  able to make decisions effectively.  

In terms of the objections, the EC found no legal basis in the objections and proceeded to dismiss  them and at the end of the entire process the EC finds that Mohammed Riyaz Khan needs to be added  to the list of approved candidates and all the other appeals and objections have been dismissed by  the EC.  

Following this exercise, the EC has also approved for the SoE to conduct the Ball Draw for the National  Candidates’ List at 10am tomorrow. 

Close of Appeals and Objections

by Electoral Commission

Bula Vinaka Ladies and Gentlemen and a good afternoon to you, 

It is 4o’clock and the Appeals and Objections on nominations approved by the Supervisor of Elections for the 2022 General Election are now closed. 

By our records, we have received _____10___ appeals and ___2_____ objections. 

Vinaka Vakalevu.

Public Notice – Appeals and Objections

by Electoral Commission
  1. The Electoral Commission will be accepting appeals and objections at 59 High Street, Toorak, Suva, from 8am until 4pm on Tuesday 15 November 2022.
  2. All appeals and objections must be lodged by completing the approved forms. The Electoral Commission will not accept any other document. Interested individuals can download the appeals and objections forms from the following link on the Electoral Commission website: www.electoralcommission.org.fj/forms/
  3. In the event a registered voter wishes to file an objection to a nomination, they must deposit a fee of FJ$100 in cash. There are no fees for Appeals.
  4. The decision of the Electoral Commission on an Appeal or Objection is final.

Ends.

Notice of Nominations

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Notice of Nominations

FEO Media Center

01 November 2022

8am 

 

The Supervisor of Elections,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen;

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all this morning.

Ladies and gentlemen, upon receipt of the Writ for the 2022 General Election, the Electoral Commission would like to announce that the Nomination Period for candidates wishing to contest the 2022 General Election is now open. 

Pursuant to section 22 of the Electoral Act 2014, the Nomination Period for the receipt of nomination of candidates for the General Election shall be from 8am on the 1st of November 2022 to 12pm on the 14th of November 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, candidate nominations are to be delivered to the Fijian Elections Office situated at the St Stephen’s Building in Victoria Parade, Suva.

There will be two types of nomination forms for the 2022 General Election. 

Form one [1] is for Independent Candidate nominations and Form two [2] is for Political Party Candidate nominations. Both of these forms can be accessed from the Fijian Elections Office website: www.feo.org.fj/about-us/forms/

Ladies and gentlemen, nomination forms are to be accompanied with deposits of $1,000.00 for each Party candidate and $1,000.00 for each Independent candidate.

Those who wish to register their nomination as Independent candidate must also present a list of 1000 supporters in the approved form along with their nomination form.

Any candidate who wishes to withdraw his or her nomination form, can do so by providing a written notice to the Supervisor of Elections no later than 12pm on 15 November 2022. 

Once the Nominations Period has ended, the Supervisor of Elections will proceed to vet all applications and decide whether an Independent Nomination or Party Nomination has met all the criteria in order to be approved as a Candidate for the 2022 General Election.

The approved List of Candidates for the 2022 General Election will then be displayed at the place of nomination.

Following this, objections to any candidate nominations and appeals to the decision of the Supervisor of Elections must be received by the Electoral Commission at 59-63 High Street, Toorak, Suva no later than 4.00pm on 15 November 2022.

Once these requirements have been met and any Objections and Appeals appropriately dealt with, the FEO will proceed with the National Candidates List Ball Draw to allocate individual numbers to approved candidates.

Thank you. 

Electoral Commission approves the Notice of Nomination

by Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission held its first meeting following the issuance of the Writ and at this meeting the Electoral Commission approved the Notice of Nomination to be published tomorrow.

The Electoral Commission also discussed the Electoral Commission’s monitoring plan for the 2022 General Election and received an update from the Supervisor of Elections in terms of the election operations for this election.

The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission once again takes this opportunity to thank His Excellency for the Writ that has now been issued and the Electoral Commission is looking forward to deliver a free, fair and credible 2022 General Election.

 

–Ends-

Issuance of Writ of Elections

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Issuance of Writ of Elections

Suva – 31 October 2022

Fellow Electoral Commission Members, 

The Supervisor of Elections,

Invited Guests,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen.

 

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all. 

 

It is my pleasure to announce that following the issuance of the Writ for the 2022 General Election by His Excellency the President, Ladies and Gentlemen under section 59 of the Constitution, we are now officially in Election mode.

The Writ for an Election that has been issued contains the following details:

  1. Election for Fifty-five (55) members of Parliament;
  2. Date and time on which, and the place at which, nominations of candidates for the Election are to be received by; and
  3. Date on which the poll will be held for the 2022 General Election;
  4. Date on or before which the Writ is returnable to the President.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Electoral Commission, under section 75 of the Constitution, is responsible for the conduct of free and fair elections in accordance with written law governing elections in Fiji. The Electoral Commission will follow the law as it is – and that is our prescribed role in the Constitution.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2022 General Election will be held on 14 December 2022, with Polling Stations open from 7.30am to 6.00pm.  Pre-poll Voting and Postal Voting will also be available where, for various reasons set out in the law for voters who are unable to attend their assigned Polling Station on election day.  There will be further information about these options in the coming days.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the total number of registered voters as of 28 October 2022 stands at 692,918 out of which 345,118 are females and 347,800 are males. 

At the close of Political Party registration, [9] registered Political Parties are eligible to contest the 2022 General Election. 

They are:

All Peoples Party, FijiFirst, Fiji Labour Party, National Federation Party, New Generation Party, Social Democratic Liberal Party, The People’s Alliance, Unity Fiji and We Unity Fiji Party.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in the coming days, the Electoral Commission will issue various notices as per our responsibilities under the Electoral Act 2014. 

The Electoral Commission is responsible for the conduct of free and fair elections in accordance with the laws and we will work hard to ensure that the 2022 General Election becomes the platform where all Fijians can vote with confidence, vote in safety and freedom.

Finally, I would like to wish the Fijian Elections Office all the best in their conduct of the 2022 General Election, and I urge all registered voters to please vote in the upcoming election.

Thank you.

Announcement of 2022 General Election

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

Announcement of 2022 General Election 

FEO Ground Floor Conference Room

30/10/22 

The Supervisor of Elections,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen.

Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all. 

 

The Prime Minister has announced that 14 December 2022 will be the date for the General Election. 

The Electoral Commission, under Section 75 of the Constitution, is responsible for the conduct of Elections in Fiji; and I would like to assure all Fijians that we are ready.  The Fijian Elections Office has concluded all its Election preparation activities. 

On the day the Writ for the 2022 General Election is issued, the Fijian Elections Office will complete voter registration. The FEO is also on track in terms of staffing and resources. 

Ladies and gentlemen, with the announcement of the 2022 General Election, I would like to inform all voters that Postal Voting Applications are now open.

Every registered Fijian who is overseas will be required to apply for a Postal Vote. Postal Voting Application forms can be accessed on services.feo.org.fj.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Writ for the 2022 General Election will be issued tomorrow, the 31st of October 2022. This means that Fijians need to know of a few very important requirements. 

  1. Any Fijian who will turn 18 years old before the Writ is issued can still register; 
  2. Voter registration will cease following the issue of the Writ, at the time prescribed by the Writ. So, if you still have not registered, this is your opportunity to do so;
  3. Political Party registrations will also cease immediately after the Writ is issued. 

Following the issue of the Writ, the Fijian Elections Office will publish a timeline of important dates for all Fijians to note. 

As announced earlier, the 2022 General Election will take place on 14 December 2022 with Polling Stations open from 7.30am, and will close at 6.00pm after the last voter in the queue at 6pm has voted. 

Following the issuance of the Writ, candidate nominations will open. 

The last day for filing candidate nominations is 12pm on 14 November 2022. Any person who wishes to withdraw their nominations may do so by 12.00noon the next day. 

As of today, ladies and gentlemen, the Fijian Elections Office expects to operate 855 Election Day Polling Venues and 613 Pre-Poll Venues around the country by employing 7,541 staff.  

We have successfully completed the training of Election Officials, Media and Political Parties, and have concluded the “Know Your Election” Voter Awareness Drive.

The Fijian Elections Office has also opened the 1500 toll free helpline where voters can call in to make basic enquiries such as the location of a voter’s Polling Venue.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, the Electoral Commission would like to ask you all to complete a checklist: 

  1. Do you know where your Polling Venue is? If yes, help a friend find theirs by texting their Voter Number to 1500.
  2. Do you have a VoterCard or any other valid photo ID card? If yes, help another voter keep their card intact. 
  3. Do you know how to vote? If yes, help another voter. If not, visit www.feo.org.fj for the latest information on how to vote. 

We are optimistic that this year’s Election will set new benchmarks. This can only be possible if all voters exercise their democratic right and come out to vote.  

The Fijian Elections Office has conducted a comprehensive voter education and awareness exercise to ensure that voters know what to expect at their Polling Venue and how to mark their Ballot Paper. 

It is incumbent on us to ensure that every effort has been made to make the 2022 General Election simple, easy and convenient.

With these words, ladies and gentlemen I once again urge all eligible Fijians to familiarize themselves with the voting processes and, come out to vote.

 Thank you and vinaka vakalevu.  

MOU Signing between Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development, MITT and Transport & Land Transport Authority

by Electoral Commission

Statement by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Mr Mukesh Nand

MOU Signing between Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development, MITT and Transport & Land Transport Authority

27 October 2022 @3.30pm

FEO Conference Room

 

The Supervisor of Elections Mr Mohammed Saneem

The Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development

Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism & Transport

Board chair for the Land Transport Authority

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentleman,

 

Bula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.

Pursuant to section 75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji 2013, the Electoral Commission has the responsibility to conduct free and fair elections in accordance with written law governing elections in Fiji.

In section 3 of the Electoral Act, 2014, the Electoral Commission is permitted to make instructions consistent with this Act and the Constitution that are necessary for the transparent and orderly conduct of free and fair elections.

In this regard, it is noted that in 2014 and 2018, the Electoral Commission engaged the voluntary services of bus operators in Fiji to provide transportation on election day to members of the general public. 

This arrangement did not involve any fixed schedules, payment arrangements and was largely based on the discretion of the operators. There are many locations (such as inner city and town roads and the distant rural locations) where bus services are not available. It was also noted that despite the availability of services in some areas, the turnout was lower than expected.

It is with this experience that the Electoral Commission formed its view in the early part of the election cycle that the Fijian Elections Office will need to directly plan, prepare, execute and monitor the provision of transportation services at the General Election. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the FEO is placed at the most central position when it comes to determining the routes and requirements for each polling location. 

Of course, it was noted that the FEO will have to organize transportation services that are best suited to the needs of each polling location. This has to also be equated against the availability of the transportation mechanism and coupled with that, the organization of a suitable mechanism to monitor that the services will be available. 

As far as practicable, the FEO needs to allocate a transport that best works in the locality. 

While the Electoral Commission left the minor mechanics of the arrangements to the FEO operations team, a few essential guiding instructions were given to the FEO. 

The FEO can work with the already established government machinery on the ground such as Advisory Councilors and Turaga Ni Koro’s. Ideally, as far as practical, bus services in urban areas could at-least be on an hourly basis. 

The other important expectation is that the transportation services will start as early as 7am and continue in higher frequency in the morning half of the day.

Ladies and gentlemen, this initiative will surely contribute positively towards creating greater access for voters to polling stations on Election Day. 

I would like to thank all the agencies that have partnered with the FEO to deliver this essential component of the general election preparations.

We are going with a multi-stakeholder approach because we want to ensure that on Election Day the FEO is not spread too thin to handle some of these things and I would like to specifically thank the Ministries for helping out.

Thank you. Vinaka Vakalevu.

The Electoral Commission dismisses National Federation Party’s Complaint

by Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission has dismissed a complaint from the National Federation Party [NFP] in relation to a member of the public namely Mr Mohammed Sareem. The NFP had alleged that Mr Sareem was in the conduct of vote buying through his TikTok platform namely Rajdhani2022. 

The Electoral Commission noted that the allegations were without any merit and the Electoral Commission found that Mr Sareem was acting in his personal/private capacity and there was no vote buying taking place under the said platform. 

In dismissing the complaint, the Electoral Commission noted that every individual has the right to political participation. Mr. Sareem was simply hosting a TikTok. The Commission did not find that he was part of or represented any political party.

 

 

-Ends-